22 
Agricultural Progress and 
worst remains to be told. Five tenants are turned out ; one only 
is promoted, if, indeed, any one of the six be found fitted by 
capital and capacity for doing credit to the new arrangements. 
Wliat are these mens offences ? and what are they to do for a 
livelihood? The landlords of England will require satisfactory 
answers to these questions before they will pass any sweeping 
sentence of expatriation upon hard-working, deserving tenants, 
even to make room for the steam-plough. No doubt opportunities 
frequently occur when, without harsh measures, farms may be 
consolidated, and this process is quietly progressing in a natural 
and satisfactory way ; but if small farms are never to be cultivated 
by steam, it will be long, indeed, before steam-cultivation becomes 
general. 
We are by no means disposed to take a desponding view of the 
obstacles to be surmounted in the introduction of steam-worked 
implements on small occupations. Doubtless they are greater 
than the difficulties which stood in the way of steam-thrashing 
on such farms, but these were considered insurmountable a few 
years ago ; and there is no want of inducement to make the 
attempt, as it is rapidly becoming apparent that even on light- 
land steam-cultivation will pay, and that clay cannot be thoroughly 
worked by any other means. It was at one time believed that 
subsoiling clay by horse-power would effect the deep and per- 
fect tilth which is so great a desideratum and so difficult a 
task on such land, and when this was the current belief, im- 
proving clay-land farmers did not hesitate to incur the heavy 
expense of 20s. to 305. per acre to stir and break up the land to 
the desired depth. The result was neither permanent nor pro- 
fitable ; but it was not the heavy cost per acre which caused 
subsoiling clay to be discontinued. That was known when the 
subsoil-plough was purchased. It Avas the slowness of the 
progress, and the injury caused by the trampling of so many 
horses, which prevented the operation from succeeding. Steam- 
cultivation is free from these objections ; and even on small 
larms it can be done at much less cost than subsoiling by horses 
or oxen. 
The only real difficulty is the amount of force required to cul- 
tivate strong land to a sufficient depth. The best authorities 
recommend an engine of 12 or 14 horse-power for this work. 
With such a command of power the strongest clay may be broken 
np to a sufficient depth steadily and uniformly, or it may be 
well stirred, sown, and the seed covered, at one operation. There 
can be little doubt that in this way the work can be done in the 
most perfect, and perhaps also in the most economical way ; and 
large farmers with sufficient capital will probably never regret 
having made the outlay requisite to give them full command of 
