402 
Five Yeari Progress of Steam Cultivation. 
"Same and Address. 
Mr. Bradshaw, Knowle, 
Guildford. 
air. T. B. Bring, Claxby, 
Spilsby, Lincolnshire. 
Mr. W. Smith, Wool- 
ston, Bletchley, Bucks. 
performing the work at the proper time can 
scarcely be over-estimated on stiff soils." 
" I am a warm advocate of ' smashing up ' as 
against the plough. Indeed, I would never 
plough any land, except red clover ley. 
The couch ujwn some of my land measures 
1} foot in length ; but there is not a par- 
ticle of couch now remaining upon the land 
which has been steam-cultivated twice." 
Is of opinion, from much experience, that 
any farmer of 300 acres and upwards of 
deep-soil land will find it to his advantage 
to have A set of steam tackle in addition to 
his usual horse-power. " On light land, as 
well as on heavy, I find from experience 
that steam-cultivation is a great advantage. 
On such land, more liable to run to twitch 
than any other, if a blow be made by 
steam-power just after harvest on the wheat- 
stubbles that come in turn for turnips, it 
will be in a ready and safe state ; but if 
this be omitted, and a wet spring follow, 
the twitch cannot be got out. The result 
of the twitch may be that the farmer wiU 
get a quarter of barley per acre less, and 
also a quarter of wheat per acre less after 
the seed- crop." 
" My heavy-land barley-field was cultivated 
and drilled at one oi^eration, at a cost of 
6s. 2c?. per acre. More masterly work I 
never saw; the rows are as straight as 
lines, well connected ^vith headland rows ; 
short pikes as well as crooked fences were 
done with the greatest ease. Now let us 
compare this \\ith horse-culture. A field 
of heavy-land barley in the neighbourhood 
was ploughed in that fine month February, 
and was drilled in an eyeable surface and 
raw under-surface caused by the late rains. 
The cost was 15s. an acre. Another field, 
after dead fallow, was drilled at the same 
time, yet the surface was cold ; the cost must 
hare been at least 3/. per acre. The next, 
after beans, was hand-forked and ploughed 
twice in the autumn, in which state it lay 
high and dry through the winter. It wa]s 
hand-forked again this spring, and drilled 
with barley on the same day that I culti- 
vated and drilled mine. Its cost must 
have lx:en at least 45s. per acre. The lands 
are all alike ia character, except that mine 
