414 TiMEHRI. 



/11.56 per heftare. During the last fifteen years the cost of coals, oil 

 and labour and horses to bring water and coals, averaged about /j 09 

 per heftare, to which must be added the cost of repairs and interest on 

 capital 15 0/0 on/22,000. The more we plough each year the less be- 

 comes the expense per heflare, and taking into consideration that the 

 plough worked only about 58 days per year, this brings the expenses 

 higher, making them about /i 7 50 per he6tare. The Steam ploughing 

 cost during the twenty years /24'i4 per hectare, and to do the same 

 work with horses only /io'5o. Thus the Steam ploughing cost double 

 and no better work was obtained. From this we come to the conclu- 

 sion that the introduction of steam ploughing implements was not 

 profitable. 



There is however one implement, the extirpator, or as the English 

 call it, the Turning Cultivator, the work of which cannot be done by 

 horses, and which cannot be too highly praised. This is already in 

 use, not on the score of cheapness, but specially for quicker and better 

 work. This quicker and better work leads to better results and this is 

 the main advantage over -working by the Steam Pleugh. 



Just after harvest when the horses are engaged in carting and it 

 would be impossible to use them for cultivation, the extirpator can be 

 utilised. As soon as the crop is taken off we can go on with the Steam 

 Cultivation while the horses are yet employed in the harvest work, and 

 break up the ground however hard it may be. We all know what a 

 great advantage this is in a very dry season or where it is choked with 

 couch grass, as it exposes the roots to the sun until they wither. 



If we desire to get any benefit from the short duration of the hot 

 weather we must be quick about it and the extirpator is set to work and 

 will turn up a field of 8 hectares in one day at the same time drawing 

 out the couch grass. The steam harrow or horse harrow further draws 

 out the grass roots so that they get more exposed and dry all the quicker. 

 If we wish to make the ground more loose we use the 9 or 11 toothed 

 extirpator which goes through it like a comb and does better work and 

 work which is impossible by the other implement, especially when we 

 can work both ways. The work of the horse cultivator has proved of 

 great advantage as the same work was not done by any other implement, 

 but the Steam extirpator by its greater power and the quickness with 

 which it does the work is undoubtedly the best, although expensive to 

 work, and we could not dispense with it. 



If the land becomes lumpy then we have to abandon the extirpator, 



