to the Cultivation of the Land. 
217 
the surface liad been cleared of its infesting- root-weeds. ISow, 
liowever, be has worked land with the steam implement first G 
inches deep, then a second time 8 inches, and over again, 
attaining a depth of 10 inches in all. He is much reducing the 
high-backed lands by scuffling across them, but prefers not to 
level them at a stroke because of sacrificing so much good soil 
that has been gradually accumulated on them. Some of the 
turnip-soil, broken up and tlien "twinned," I saw lying in a 
beautiful condition, apparently just as if forked by hand. 
Other fields, also, 1 inspected, prepared for mangolds without 
ploughing, but all on the flat, instead of being ridged, as might 
be better, at any rate, on the heavier lands. Mr. Randall has pre- 
pared mangold land for wheat by two turns with the 3-tined 
grubber — the first time 6 inches deep, the next 2 inches deeper 
— and crossing with the twins. He has broken up ground 
directly after an early harvest, sown white mustard, had sheep 
feeding it off in about six weeks' time, and could have grown 
vetches after that ; and he has also broken up clover-lea for 
wheat — that is, rather a dead lea, the live rubbish dying when 
exposed on the surface, and the couch and docks being picked 
off, and tlie wheat put in without any necessity for plough- 
ing. I will here insert his own written testimony of a year ago. 
January 30, 1858. 
Dear Sir, — I am happy to add my testimony to the value of your steam- 
cultivator, which I procui-ed from Messrs. Humphries in July last. I have 
worked it upon a variety of soils, and in all cases most satisfactorily. Having 
recently added to my previous occupation about '100 acres of good light laud, 
very full of couch-grass, I have found the cultivator most valuable since 
harvest in preparing the stubble for this year's root crops. The first operation 
was to lift this couch to the siu'face bypassing the cultivator under it at a 
depth of about six inches. This left it in a better state to eradicate than two 
ordinary ploughings would have done : for be it remembered that the custom 
has been, when commencing the cleaning of a foul piece of land, to turn the 
couch into the bottom of the fun'ow ; the next, to plough it back again, or so 
much of it as during this second ploughing did not fall back into the furrow, 
to be firmly planted there by the horses' feet. Your implement keeps it in 
^iight — all is on the surface, and by harrowing, rolling, raking, and picking, 
may be cleared away. This done, a second stirring with the cultivator, ten to 
twelve inches deep, leaves the land m the best possible state to benefit by the 
frost, and will need no other ploughing except to cover the manure. 
Valuable, however, as I fip.d the cultivator for the above purposes, it is 
still more so upon my clay land, of which my farm here (about 500 acres) 
chiefly consists The difBculties attending the cultivation of clay 
land, even upon steep hill sides, as is the case with some of mine — thanks 
to you — are now at an end. 
Believe me, dear Sir, faithfully yours, 
C. Eakdali.. 
Mr, W. Smith, Woolsion. 
