Report on the Steam Cultivators at Worcester. 
483 
the reqxiirements of a "small occupation." A more detailed descriiition of it 
will therefore be found under Class I. 
Plot No. 4 fell into the hands of Mr. Smith, with his 10-horse double- 
cylinder engine, driving his windlass and 3-tined grubber, with 4-inch spud 
points, in the usual way. Throughout the whole of this tiial he preserved 
a uniform and steady pace, making hy far the best work over ridge and furrow, 
and stirring the soil most effectually. The only drawback seemed to be the 
very narrow width of land taken, and the consequent length of time (3 hrs. 
1 m.) required to complete his work, whilst the manual labour — that of 6 men 
in attendance — seemed proportionally expensive. 
At intervals during this trial portions of land in each plot were carefully 
cleared of all the mo%-ed soil, so as to expose to view that which remained 
immoved, wliich, without an exception, presented to the eye a corrugated and 
uneven surface, in itself evidence enough of the incomjjleteness of the shuiln 
operation of cultivating or grubbing land \n hich has not been previously broken 
up; whilst the double process with a supplementary cross-cultivation is neces- 
sarily much more costly. This portion of the trial being over, such competitors 
as could furnish ploughing-tackle were then requested to plough a small 
portion (1^ acre) each, at a depth of about 6.j inches. This brought out three 
competitors, viz. Fowler, Howard, and Sa\ ory, whose performances are re- 
corded above. (See Table II., p. 482.) 
(o) Fowler, using his 4-furrow plough, made somewhat roush and uneven 
work, the soil apparently varying much at the ditferent ends of the field. His 
staff consisted of 4 men and 3 boys, or 1 man more than he required for 
cultivating. * 
(b) Howard worked his new 3-fuiTow plough, the frames of which are raised 
and lowered in such a manner that the set of ploughs out of work is inde- 
jiendent of, and has no tendency to weigh, or raise out of the ground, the set in 
action, which, of course, has the effect of steadying it in hard work. As 
l)loughing, this implement made decidedly the best work of the three, though 
not quite so deep as Fowler's, inverting the soil regularly, and leaving it in a 
neatly-formed furrow, which was evidently due to the peculiar shape of mould- 
board for which the Bedford firm has been so long famous. The frame of the 
plough, which vibrated considerably, appeared, however, to be too light in 
make, and consequently liable to be strained. 
(c) Savory, in connexion with his two engines, used a Fowler's 4-furrow 
plough, which was driven much too fast to make neat work, and broke a body 
of one plough in consequence. He was ordered to drag to the gate the whole 
of his tackle, with rope coiled and plougli attached to the engine, as soon as be 
had done, which operation he performed in 3i minutes from the time he 
finished his ploughing. 
At this stage Mr. Fowler was ordered to move to an adjoining plot, on 
which to work his digging-breasts, and it was in this instance that we had 
presented to owx notice the most successful attempt at steam-cultivation. 
This implement, by the action of semi-inversion, so thoroughly moved and 
mixed every particle of soil as really to leave little or nothincc to be desired 
further. Indeed, this may fairly be described as the perfection of autumn 
cultivation on clean land. The result of this operation does not appear in the 
tabulated form. 
The trials for Class 11. were now concluded, but we must not omit to 
mention that we had the privilege of witnessing in actual operation Mr. Smith's 
combined cultivator and drill, which was not entered for competition. The 
ground was evidently too hard and rough to break up satisfactorily into a 
seed-bed; at the same time it is evidently a clever implement, and hkely to 
suit the lighter soils of this country for spring-seeding, for which its ingenious 
and indefatigable inventor undoubtedly intended it. 
