Economy in Cultivation. 
35 
absurd to expect anyone to walk fast with four pounds of hob- 
nailed boots on his feet for eight or nine hours a day. The 
gang plough system has long been used in America, where wheat 
appears to be produced more cheaply than anywhere else, and 
where labour is dearer than, perhaps, in any other country of the 
world. Here the labourer never seems to walk after an imple- 
ment if he can ride it, whether it be a reaper, mower, drill, 
plough, or harrow ; and I think the Americans can be trusted to 
get work done as economically as possible. Why, then, should 
our chief operation on the farm be effected so slowly and ex- 
pensively ? 
This naturally brings me to the subject of deep cultivation 
and the cultivation of heavy land. With regard to the latter, 
it appears to me to be quite impossible that any such land re- 
quiring more than two horses to draw an ordinary single plough 
can pay for cultivation with corn and meat at present prices, and 
the sooner it is laid down to grass or planted to wood the better 
for landlord and tenant. But regarding deep cultivation, which, 
together with heavy land, is chiefly responsible for slow plough- 
ing, is it clear that deep cultivation is ever advantageous in 
the production of ordinary farm crops ? I know that it is a 
necessity in the case of potatoes, also where the system of dung- 
ing in the ridges for roots is adopted — a most objectionable 
system to my mind ; also, it may sometimes be desirable to 
plough “ ley ” ground a sufficient depth to keep it clean ; but I 
know no other case in which a depth of from three to four 
inches is not sufficient, if not superior to any other. Of course 
every inch of extra depth means considerable extra labour or cost, 
and though I have no data to go upon, it is probable that, 
generally speaking, five-inch ploughing means twice as much 
strain as three-inch, inasmuch as the greater the depth, the 
harder is the ground. Certain it is that crops grown after the 
old breast plough, about one to two inches deep, whether corn 
or roots, were equal if not superior to any that have been grown 
on the same land since. I have spoken to many farmers of very 
wide experience on this subject, who agree with me that deep 
cultivation has no advantages over light, or moderately light, 
cultivation on any kind of soil. Squitch is often ploughed down 
deep, only to be brought up again at great expense ; weed seeds 
also, to germinate when least expected ; manure ploughed 
deeply down to be near the drains and farther from the roots of 
plants. It appears absurd to discuss such a question as this at 
this period of the world’s agricultural history, and it looks, on 
the face of it, as though I were advocating a system to suit an 
implement ; but I am strongly of opinion that economy in this 
