464 Rcjwrt on the Exhibition and Trials of Implements at Leeds, 
stin-cd uniformly to t,lio depth of 7 inches; of the hitter or scarified por- 
tion, fuUj' one-half had been only stirred 5 inches deep, hut, at the request 
of the Judsjes, a depth of more than 7 inches was apain attained. Over the 
whole of the four acres a large harrow was attached to the side of tho 
imjilcnient, Avhich produced the usual good effect of one harrowing by horses, 
without the disadvantage arising from the treading of their feet. On light 
soils the drill might immediately follow the scarifier ; even on more tenacious 
soils, if cultivated in fine weather, a very slight amount of drying would suffice 
to make the land ready for sowing. The ploughing of the headlands occupied 
much more time, in jiroportion to their extent, than the main piece. This 
was partly owing to an attempt to ploiigh that which the engine had travelled 
over, and consequently consolidated, by means of an ordinary claw-anchor 
and snatchblock. As these were unable to bear the strain upon them, the 
plough was only worked one way. It may be questioned whether it is not 
more economical to ^ilough tho headlands by means of horse-iiower, much 
time being lost in shifting tackle for such small areas.* This remark applies 
particularly to the further headland, to plough which the engine must be re- 
moved across the field. That which is traversed by the engine, and consoli- 
dated by it, is more easily dealt with, and it is of more importance that steam 
should he brought to bear in breaking it U]i. 
Upon the whole the land was quite as effectually tilled at one operation by 
Mr. Fowler, as by the Messrs. Howard at two ; the bottom being uniformly 
level, and all the soil ]:)erfectly moved. 
Messrs Brown and May, of Devizes, worked domain's rotary cultivator, or 
" digging macliinc," on plot 6. The work done, though but little, was cer- 
tainly the best in the field, the soil being finely pulverized to the depth of 
7 inches; but the expenditure of coal, oil, and water was something fearful. 
This cost, coupled with the wages of the men, the wear and tear of •the im- 
plement, and the interest of capital invested in its purchase, would very far 
exceed the value of the work. This was so small in amount, and done at such, 
various times, that it was impossible to chronicle the details of the trial. The 
digger worked first round the outside of the plot of ground, narrowing its orbit 
as it approached the centre. Considerable s]iaces at each corner were left im- 
touched ; nor do we see how the centre, had the digger ever reached that 
point, could by any possibility have been finished by so ponderous a machine, 
requiring so large a space in which to turn. However highly we may appre- 
ciate the work, we consider we should have committed a great error had we 
given either a medal or a commendation to an implement in every way so 
costly. 
After the foregoing trials, it was evidently imnccessary to require any of the 
competitors, except Mr. Fov/ler and Messrs. Howard, to proceed further. To 
each of them eight acres of clover-ley were further allotted, which they were 
requested to plough as a seed-bed for wheat. 
Mr. Fowler's plough worked well, and, considering the I'apidity at which it 
travelled, the furrows were well and evenly turned. Of course the slower 
ploughing is done (within certain limits) the less the furrow-slices are broken, 
and the more neatly they are placed. Had skim-coulters been attached to the 
plough, so as to bury all the clover, tho ploughing would have been of a very 
superior order ; but such an addition to steam ploughs would probably add 
more to their complexity than to their utility. As it was, the ground was 
left in a very good state for harrowing, — indeed all the better in that respect 
from the furrow-slices having been more or less broken. 
The work done by Messrs. Howard's plough was also pretty good. The 
furrow-slices were perhaps better cut, and rather better shaped, but they were 
* In this case twenty-six minutes were occupied in shifting tackle for the 
nearer headland, and forty minutes for the farther one. 
not 
