214 



CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FARM. 



of the end of this, or beginning of next century, who 

 looks back upon the origin of steam-agriculture from 

 just such a point as we do now on that of steam- 

 navigation; who will be as familiar with the sight 

 of soil pulverized a foot deep, in one act, by surface 

 abrasion from a steam-driven cylinder [armed with 

 the Talparian claw that " works i' the earth so fast," 

 and solves in the dark, beneath our very feet, a harder 

 problem !] as we are with ships of a couple of thou- 

 sand tons, driven through the water like a duck with 

 her web-feet at work beside or behind her, in either 

 case obedient to the steam-law of circular motion. 



" Vestigia nulla relrorsum." 



