1869. 



KEW ENGLAND FARJMER. 



373 



STEAM CULTURE— DEEP PLOUGHING. 



UST about two years aj^o the Roy- 

 al Agricultural Society of England 

 appointed three committees to visit 

 y^f^^ different sections of country, where 

 -^^^y steam culture had been introduced. 

 These committees attended to their duty in 

 September of that year, and subsequently re- 

 ported to .the Society. The reports contain 

 many facts of great interest. 



But we wish to call attention at this time to 

 the one great fact, that by the steam plough the 

 soil is worked much deeper than is possible 

 by animal power, and it was the uniform testi- 

 mony that by deepening the soil, larger crops 

 were obtained and of better quality. 



Some American cultivators within two or 

 three years past have objected to deep plough- 

 ing, and declared that nothing is gained by it. 

 But the experience of English farmers has led 

 them to the conclusion that the bulk of the 

 crops, whether of grain or grass, is much in- 

 created by it, and this is our own conviction, 

 especially when the subsoil consists of clay or 

 clay loams. Deep ploughing has a s milar ef- 

 fect to draining ; that is, it enables the surface 

 water to settle into the soil more rapidly be- 

 low the roots of plants. It makes a deeper 

 seed bed for plants in a dry time, and enables 

 the roots at all times to reach the minerals in 

 the soil, that have accumulated there. The 

 recent objections that have been made against 

 deep ploughing, are, we take it, a reaction 

 against the idea that deep ploughing was to be 

 a remedy for all the wants of the soil, which 

 was so strongly urged a few years ago. That 

 was the other extreme. We propose to make 

 some brief extracts from the Rtports above 

 referred to. 



Mr. Allen ploughed in July and August 323 

 acres, at the rate of eight acres per day, from 

 eight to twelve inches deep. 



Mr. Harvey, in a day of ten hours, ploughs 

 from eight to ten acres ; wheat stubble, fif- 

 teen inches deep. 



Mr. Wallls says his experience shows that 

 not only is the yield of wheat increased about 

 four bushels per acre, but its quality is im- 

 proved, and its market value increased. 



Mr. Rnston is enabled to turn up deep subsoil 

 to the depth of fifteen to eighteen inches. He 

 claims greatly increased yields. He says he 



obtained one-fourth more an acre of barley 

 and wheat. 



JMr. Smythe says steam enables him to get 

 crops where before he had to fallow one sea- 

 son. By deepening his soil he gets increased 

 crops, better quality and crops a greater 

 breadth. 



Mr. J. T. Edwards, on his 300 acres of ar- 

 able land, used to plough four inches, now by 

 steam, ploughs from seven to nine inches. The 

 land is warmer, dryer, and the crops larger 

 and finer. 



Mr. Sowerby's farm of 650 acres used tore- 

 quire a pair of stout horses to plough four or 

 five inches. Now the drainage is better, the 

 soil permanently improved, and a decided in- 

 crease of crops. 



Mr. I. W. Edmunds occupies 1000 acres of 

 arable, and 200 of pasture land, in fields of 

 ten to thirty-five acres. Uses Fowler''s four- 

 teen-horse power, four-furrow plough, and 

 six-tine cultivator. The advantages are, im- 

 proved drainage, cheaper tillage, seasonable 

 performance of the operations, and increased 

 yields. 



Experience of five years has convinced the 

 Duke of Marlboro' and his agent, Mr. Napier, 

 on his farm of 750 acres of arable, and 1600 

 grass and pasture land, of the great utility and 

 profit of steam culture. 



Mr. William Lavender, on a farm of 550 

 acres strong clay and loam, clay subsoil, and 

 always wet till the application of deep steam 

 ploughing, says that this deep ploughing makes 

 the driest ground and the largest yield. 



Mr. Watt occupies 570 acres arable and 400 

 grass land. Deep and seasonable ploughing 

 does away with the necessity of fallows, and 

 the usual four-course rotation is changed to a 

 five-course. 



A committee in one of the reports say, we 

 found clay fields lying in splendid condition 

 for wheat, with a broken-up staple of nearly 

 a foot deep, which is about twice the depth at 

 which it was worked under the former regimen 

 of four-horse ploughing. 



Mr. Smith of Woolston gives the results of 

 his four years' experience thus : Cost of 

 ploughing per acre for four years, from ten to 

 twelve inches deep. £2. Is. under steam plough- 

 ing. Cost under horse power, five inches 

 deep, £3. 10s. The total produce of four 

 years under horse culture, eighty-five bushels 

 wheat and beans ; under steam culture, whole 



