JVear and Tear of Agricultural Steam-Enyines. 333 
/'W fixed 'riireshing-Machine to Jiin's/i. Ilie Grain far illarJu't. 
Ilorsc-ixiwcr. 
Price. 
Supposed 
Value 111 
14 Years. 
Amount of Depreciation 
and Interest per Annum for 
14 Years. 
Amount ol' 
lli pairs per 
Annum lt)r 
lU Years. 
£. 
£. 
.i'. >J. s. 
t', i'. 
7 
12U 
20 
10 2 + 1 0=11 2 
3 0 
Jirpairs, ^'c, of fixed Turesliinij-Machine icitli separate Dressing Apparatus 
and Elevators. 
uo I 30 I 11 2 + 1 10 = 12 12 
For fixed Thrsshing-Machine — Single-Blast. 
80 i 10 
0 + 0 It) = 7 10 
4 0 
2 10 
Cost of Threshing.* 
Since the cost of maintaining a 7-horse-power portable engine 
amounts to 35/. 12s., and of a 7-liorse-power single-blast machine 
— including 3Z. a year for driving-strap and waterproof cover — 
to 24/. 2s., the number of days each is used in a year must be ascer- 
tained, in order that the proper proportion may be charged to 
each day's work. Our calculations have been made on the sup- 
position that the threshing is confined to the work of one large 
farm ; if the engine is let out, a different estimate must be made. 
The following are the average quantities of corn threshed in a 
day of 10 hours by a 7-horse-power portable engine and single- 
blast machine, in use 3 days a week on an average, in a good 
district in Essex. 
The owner of this machine found that an 8-horse-power engine 
and finishing machine averaged about the same amount of work 
as a 7-horse-power single-blast machine, for the years 1860 and 
* It may be interesting to note the latest prices for threshing by flail, on a large- 
farm in Surrey : — 
Prices for 1860. 
s. d. 
per quarter. 
Wheat 
Barley 
Oats 
Peas 
4 0 
3 0 
1 10 
2 3 
Prices for ISGl. 
s. d. 
.. 4 0 per quarter. 
.. 2 9 
..18 
..2 3 
My informant states " the price for labour has risen considerably in this neigh- 
bmirhood during the last few years. The price for wheat threshed would, a few 
years since, have been M. or 8d. per quarter less than in the last two years. 
The present labourers want to work less and to earn more than those of the 
last generation." 
This sounds like the knell of one of the departing customs of our fathers. 
