0)1 Agricultural Implements. 



597 



be once more stirred with a wider scarifier (Blddle's, 6^ feet 

 wide), which would go deeper, the land being looser, with 4 

 horses only. x4s this implement is equal in width to 8J ploughs, 

 4 horses would thus be doing the work of 16. The operation 

 will in labour be only a quarter-ploughing. There are saved, 

 besides, in spring, infinite harrowings and rollings, which will 

 defray the expense of drilling the turnips. 



The plan of autumn-cleaning is the more valuable because it 

 is a practice of actual farmers. When we hear of wheat being 

 grown on alternate portions of the same field every year, such an 

 experiment is highly interesting in a scientific view, yet we feel 

 certain that it cannot become general : but when we know that 

 good farmers are yearly extending the practice of autumn- 

 cleaning upon stock land, we are assured that whatever be its 

 advantages they will be generally available upon land of that 

 character. 



Again, with regard to the barley-sowing after turnips, it used 

 to be good farming, as I have said, to plough twice. But in order 

 to save ammonia it is still better to pare the land as quickly as 

 the sheepfold is shifted. This may be done by Kilby's or 

 Bentall's paring-plough, and may be set down as a half-plough- 

 ing. The frost mellows the surface, and 4 horses scarifying at 

 seed-time will make it fit for the drill. This last operation may 

 be set down as one-third of a ploughing. We may now examine 

 what saving of labour has been produced by this new class of 

 implements ; — 



Old System. 





New System. 



Ploug'hings. 





Ploughings. 







1 One scarifying . 



1 



•3 



Roots 



4 



{ One ploughing . 



. 1 







I One scarifying . 



. i 



Barley 



2 



One do. 



. h 



Clover 



0 ! 



One do. 



. i 



Wheat 



1 . 





. 1 





7 





3i 



Thus it appears that the Cultivators will spare just one half of 

 the horse labour employed on the plough^ doing the work, too, 

 as well or better. Adopting the standard of economy as the test of 

 their merit, we find that, if a ploughing be valued at 85., they can 

 save 7^. an acre yearly over the whole of an arable farm. And we 

 may adopt this calculation in their favour more confidently, be- 

 cause (by other means) an equal saving of horse-work can be 

 made at other seasons in other descriptions of work. Some 

 exceptions to this general use of Cultivators will occur of course 

 to every farmer ; but the substitution of them for the plough has 

 long been known to many good farmers, though probably it has 



