British Agriculture. 
2%h = l9 
savin? of labour is great in suitable localities, but it is not so 
I uniformly applicable, nor does it so certainly and quickly repay 
\ its cost, as the reaping-machine. On light and friable soils the The double- 
! double-furrow plough, balancing itself with greatly less friction fu"'t'W plough. 
I in proportion than the single plough, is found to do the same 
I work with one man and three horses as two single ploughs with 
i! two men and four horses. This is equal to a saving of 100 per 
t cent, in man-power, and 25 per cent, in horse-power, and it will 
i become more generally available on the lighter soils if any- 
serious pressure arises from scarcity of labour. In the threshing General use of 
lof corn, and cutting of straw and hay for fodder, and the grinding steam power in 
and bruising of corn and cake for horse and cattle food, the aid J^^crops.* 
of steam-power has long been used by the farmers of this 
(Country. 
! A ext to the economy of labour may be ranked the increase of Successive 
1 produce by the expedient of taking two corn crops in succes- "^"^ crops, 
ision where the land is clean and in high condition, and can bear 
i he application of special manure, and where the agriculturist 
jis free to follow a rational system of farming. The four-course 
iivstem of alternate corn and green-crops — wheat, turnips, barley, 
j:lover — had two great advantages, first by alternating restorative 
jind cleansing crops with corn ; and second, by regular distribu- 
ion of labour throughout the year. The introduction of guano, 
jiitrate of soda, and other ammoniacal and phosphatic manures, 
iiias now rendered the farmer comparatively independent of this 
idternate system of cropping. As the supply of nitrate is believed 
po be capable of lasting for a very long period, we may reckon 
1 ivith considerable certainty on its continuance at a moderate price, 
jit might become an instrument of great national value if any Use to which 
i '.nforeseen occurrence should cut off one of our main supplies ^^^^ 
k 'f wheat, that of Russia, for example. If only the twentieth part ^^r."* '^'"^ 
i f the corn land of the United Kingdom were called on to bear 
i n additional wheat crop, the loss would be at once made good, 
■ |nd with no perceptible strain on our agricultural system. If 
I 11 Europe were shut against us, we should be quickly able to 
leet the increased home demand by double-cropping to the 
jXtent of one-tenth of our corn-land, and without any greater 
f hange in the demand for nitrate of soda than has already been 
let by the advancing supplies of recent years. It is unneces- 
iry to consider the position of this country, were even a heavier 
jilamity to befall us, obtaining as we do from the foreigner so 
. irge a proportion of our food, for it is not conceivable that the 
jroducers of corn in any country would desire to see the best 
larket in the world long closed to them. But ic is clear that 
|e possess in this power of taking a second crop of wheat 
latent reserve force which might, on very short notice, be 
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