412 
Report on Steam Cultivation at Newcastle. 
Lot 3. — Mr. Steevens' combined implement, described before, worked with 
narrow tines, and left a most uneven bottom. It was explained to us that 
better work would have been made bad broader shares been substituted. We 
have no doubt this would have been so ; but why, then, was it not so ex- 
hibited ? The Judges are called upon to decide on the merits of implements as 
they come before them. As it was, the work was decidedly bad. And in this rather 
hard soil we again had evidence that Mr. Steevens' implement is liable to shirk 
its work ; probably the weight of the frame which carries the tines is insuffi- 
cient to keep it quite steady. The soil moved was at the rate of 654 tons per 
acre, the width of the implement 2 feet 10 inches. 
Lot 4. — Coleman and Morton's Cultivator made fair work ; the bottom was, 
however, somewhat uneven, the tines being too narrow for this hard soil. In 
this case the draft of the empty implement was added, since the system re- 
quires two Cultivators — one in, and one out of work. Soil moved, at the rate of 
823 tons per acre ; width disturbed, 3 feet 10 inches. We were pleased w ith 
the work of this Cultivator on both occasions that it came before us, though 
we do not approve of a system that requires two implements to do only the 
work of one. 
Lot 5 was occupied by Mr. J. A. Williams with his Leviathan Cultivator, 
an enormous implement, which covers 6 feet 2 inches between the wheels 
and disturbs 6 feet of ground. It consists of a strong rectangular frame on 
three wheels ; two support the bod) - , and one in front is used for steering. 
The frame carries a series of head-blocks, set perpendicularly by screws 
which regulate the depth of the forepart of the cultivating-shares. Three 
cultivating-frames are attached, each carrying three cast-iron coulters. 
The coulters are 3^ inches wide, by 1J inch thick, bevelled fore and aft. 
Three descriptions of shaves are provided — narrow chisels, broad chisels, 
and steel broad-shares, which cover all the ground. The cultivating-frames 
are independent of the carriage-frame, being raised out of the ground and 
kept to a given depth, or rather prevented from entering the ground too 
deeply by a lever-press; in other words, we have much the same arrangement 
as in the coulter of a drill, only the press is there employed to keep the 
coulters in the ground, and here to prevent their drawing in too deeply. The 
man steers from a seat on the carriage-frame ; the implement turns at the 
land's end ; it weighs about 1 ton. Mr. Williams' plan of cultivation consists 
in going twice over the same ground ; the depth cultivated was very irregular. 
The frames, each acting as independent levers, jumped about a good deal, and 
kept rising and sinking as far as the press allowed, according to the obstruc- 
tions in the soil. The soil moved was at the rate of 762 tons per acre. Width 
twice moved, 3 feet. 
The Award was as follows : — 
£ s. d. 
First Prize to John Fowler 17 10 0 
Second Prize to J. and F. Howard 12 10 0 
Silver Medal to Coleman and Morton. 
Class V. 
Trial of Steam Harrows. 
These trials took place on Saturday, July 16th, the ground selected being 
the three lots ploughed by the competitors in Class II. The whole area, 
about 8 acres, was divided into five equal strips ; lots were drawn, and each 
implement worked across the three ploughings. Messrs. Howard kindly lent 
their power, which proved very suitable for the work ; after each implement 
had traversed a bout, the large horse-plough Dynamometer was attached, and 
