STEAM IMPLEMENTS FOR DRY-FARMING 323 
dous weight that they press down the soil very com- 
pactly along their path and in that way defeat one of 
the important purposes of tillage. Another objection 
to them is that at present their construction is such as 
to result in continual breakages. While these break- 
ages in themselves are small and inexpensive, they 
mean the cessation of all farming operations during 
the hour or day required for repairs. A large crew 
of men is thus left more or less idle, to the serious in- 
jury of the work and to the great expense of the- 
owner. Undoubtedly, the traction engine has a 
place in dry-farming, but it has not yet been perfected 
to such a degree as to make it satisfactory. On heavy 
soils it is much more useful than on light soils. When 
the traction engine works satisfactorily, plowing may 
‘be done at a cost considerably, lower than when 
horses are employed. (See Fig. 72.) 
In England, Germany, and other European coun- 
tries some of the difficulties connected with plowing 
have been overcome by using two engines on the two 
opposite sides of a field. These engines move syn- 
chronously together and, by means of large cables, 
plows, harrows, or seeders, are pulled back and forth 
over the field. This method seems to give good satis- 
faction on many large estates of the old world. Mac- 
donald reports that such a system is in successful 
operation in the Transvaal in South Africa and is 
doing work there at a very low cost. The large initial 
cost of such a system will, of course, prohibit its use 
