332 
Steam Cultivation. 
The corner, about two acres, was cultivated entirely with horse- 
power, and sown at the same time as the rest of the field. 
During the autumn months the difference of the absorptive 
and transmissive properties of the soil of the two pieces was first 
observable. Within twenty-four hours after any amount of rain 
fell no stagnant water could be seen on the surface of the steam- 
cultivated piece, while on the adjacent corner it remained for more 
than twice that time. 
In January, 1861, the roots were consumed on the land with 
sheep, and the field ploughed from the road in the same direction 
as before, the corner piece being again cultivated with horses. 
Between the time of ploughing and sowing a heavy fall of rain 
occurred, followed by dropping weather, which so retarded the 
sowing that on the steamed piece a seed-bed could not be obtained 
until the first week in April. At this time the contrast between 
the two portions was very remarkable, and spoke volumes in 
favour of steam. Even then the one part was not so dry as could 
have been wished, yet the seed went in in fair order ; white the 
other was so thoroughly saturated with wet as to be perfectly 
untouchable, and, from the month proving wet, it remained in 
this state until the beginning of May, when it was sown, being 
even then not in a very dry condition.* 
In 'another piece of 30 acres, adjoining the above, and similar 
in quality of soil and subsoil, we had in the spring of 1862 
another convincing proof of the efficacy of steam-cultivation in 
promoting the escape of surface-water by filtration. 
The field was in roots, and fed off" with sheep in the course of 
the winter months ; in February one-half was ploughed by horses 
and the other by steam. Oat-sowing was commenced in the 
second week of April on one side of the steam-ploughed portion, 
the drill working in the line of plouglyng until it reached the 
beginning of the horsework, which was found to be so wet that 
it was necessarily stopped, and a full week elapsed before 
that part was as dry and in as good a working condition as the 
other. 
If necessary, and if space permitted, we could quote other 
instances which, by direct comparison, have enabled us to arrive 
at a thorough conviction that steam, judiciously handled, will 
prove a grand and effective agent in increasing the porosity of 
impervious clay soils. To show that our practice accords with 
precept, we may mention that in the late season 80 acres of 
• To show that this arose from the mode of culture and not from any difference 
in the texture of tl e soil, we may mention that the diagonal hedgerow which 
stood in the way, was grubbed in the autumn of 1861, and this and the adjacent 
field together ploughed deeply by steam, and that no appreciable difference in the 
drainage has since been observable. 
