334 Steam Cultivation 
power, so that even were the expense of each operation the same, 
the gain would still be much on the side of steam, 
Inceease of Produce. 
" Has the produce been increased ? " — In this inquiry centres 
the gist and pith of the whole matter. 
What the result has been on soils of light and sandy texture, 
experience does not enable us to say, but by some it is considered 
somewhat doubtful, and at all events this may yet be considered 
an open question ; but on strong soils, as surely as cultivation by 
steam is more economical than by horses, — as surely as its use 
increases porosity and promotes percolation, — as surely as it better 
comminutes and deepens at will the staple of the soil, — so surely 
does the final result tend to the production of better crops, and 
consequently to greater profits. 
Among the many instances which we could adduce in substan- 
tiation of these remarks, we will first notice the difference of the 
oat crops in the field before referred to, where the greater portion 
was steam cultivated, but two acres were ploughed with horses. 
On the first-mentioned piece the crop was a fair one, averaging 
about 7 qrs. per acre, while on the two acres it was very bad ; 
and though we cannot give the exact yield, we may safely 
state it to have been under 4 qrs. per acre. 
This wide difference can be attributed solely to the different 
modes of cultivation. Had the whole piece been horse-ploughed, 
the probability is, that the time of sowing would have been in 
keeping, and the crop commensurate with that of the two acres. 
The difference in money-value, at the most moderate estimate, 
was certainly over 3/. per acre, which, multiplied by 17, the num- 
ber of acres in the piece, amounts to a sum which would cover a 
great many incidental expenses, which in the imaginations of 
some are the great bugbear and constant concomitants of the 
steam-plough. Of course this occurred under peculiar circum- 
stances. Had the spring been dry instead of wet, we should not 
have expected so great a difference. 
The difference in the yield of the pieces stated to have been 
sown with oats in 1861, at a week's interval, was not so great, 
but still sufficiently obvious to be noticed by very casual observers, 
about 1 qr. per acre being the estimated difference. Other com- 
parative instances in favour of steam we could relate, but per- 
haps a brief account of the general results attending its adoption 
on the aforesaid impervious soil may be as apropos and 
interesting. 
The geological formation of this soil has already been men- 
tioned ; and the land, previous to the introduction of steam-culti- 
