The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

[Stamped, ld. Additional,]

STEAM CULTIVATION IN WORCESTERSHIRE.

A large and influential meeting of the agricni-
Waste—both landowners and tenant-farmers—of Worms-
tenhire, was held at the Crown Hotel, Worcester, cc Siam.
day afternoon, to consider the subject of steam cultivation.
Among those present were Lord North wick, Sir E. A. H.
Lechmere, Bart., the Hon. F. Lygon, M.P., E. Holland,
Esq., H. F. Vernon, Esq., M.P., R. Padmore, Esq.,
M. 1., Captain Parker. 114cr Norbury, Mews. T. G. Curt-
leo, A. H. Heyde, H. Allsopp, J. D. Onley, T. R. Hill, J.
Pickernell, T. Chalk, R. Berkeley, jun , L Bearcroft, IL
Lakin, A. Buck, W. Holland, W. Woodhouse, Trinder,
lludfield, W. Essex, W. Bentley, Bullock,Wast, Amphlett,
J. Turley, Randall, Rogers, Hudson, Creswell, the Rem 0.
B. Grey, km
On the motion of Sir E. A. H. LEDDHEBE, Bart., Mr. E.
HOLLAND, M.P., WY voted to the chair, and having taken
his place, he said he would be brief in his remarks, kit all
must be so convinced of the advantages of steam cultivation
that the only question to be considered in any county or
district was, how is it to be applied' He had tried it him-
self four or five years, and would just as soot think of going
back to the flail for thrashing as tu the old appliances for the
cultivation of the soil. He hoped that the resolutions to be
submitted to the meeting would he carried out, and that
those who could not expend a large capital on • steam plough.
engine, and machinery, might be enabled to use steam un-
plemeete through the establishment of a company under the
Limited Liability Act, to hire or purchase the necemary ma-
chinery for use in the county of Worcester. They bad
the experience of more than one such society—there was
the experience of one at Gloucester, which had expired (or
rather lapsed, for he hoped and believed that in course of
time it would go on again), after a year and a half's Grier,
once, and ita failure was to be attributed to the fact of its
being established at • time when all the machinery was
new and none perfected. Since that time, however, • very
good company had been established at Wakefield; it bad
just made a report for its first half year, which wee most
satisfactory, in showing that if a society like that is well
managed au enormous amount of work may be performed
both in and out of the neighbourhood, or at many miles
distance from the central depot. They (the Wakefield
Society) had adopted that system, in which two engines
were employed—such a, were seen at work during the
late Worcester trials—and the consequence had been
that instead of having one heavy engine to culti-
vate the land, which would have been too large, as far
as horse-power is concerned, for application to other farm
purposes, they had two engines of smaller horse-power,
and were able to employ them in going about the land
from farm to farm, thrashing and performing other kinds
of work. It had been suggested amongst other things that
the society proposed for Worcestershire should commence
with two seta of implements, and should adopt the
system of double engines. In the Gloucester society
one source of failure had been that they had five set, of
engines and ploughs, and scarcely ever had more thou two
at work at the same time ; consequently they had a large
amount of dormant capital, thaw machinery was
very liable to fracture, and they had other
elements of failure which their experience would
enable the agriculturists of Worcestershire to avoid. As
to the cost, there could be no doubt that a very great 'eels'
took place in working by steam. In his own case, he had
twenty working horses before he commenced steam culti-
vation ; now he had twelve, and was about dispensing with
some of them, because he found that the land was hardest
to work before the steam plough touched it. As au example
of this, he mentioned that in working • field of his for the
first time he had found it necessary to use 80The. of steam
to the square inch, and now he did the same work on it
with 5011.. to 551b5., through the land becoming thoroughly
broken up. There was nothing, they all knew, for their
stiff clay lend like autumn cultivation ; but he had found
that when he attempted autumn cultivation with horses
be was stopped by the climate. With the steam plough,
however, he had accomplished in one fortnight what would
have taken him two mouths without steam. lie did not care
for sinuous, and he had been able to save a third the number
of his horses. The cost of keeping a horse would, of
course, vary with the number kept; but with nine horses
it would amount, inclusive of food, value of horse, and wear
and tear of gear, to not lees than 26/.1 year ; and if they
could save three times that by only keeping six horses is.
stead of nine, it would be equal to a saving of 784 or 801.
a year. Besides, the nature of clay land was completely
altered by the steam plough, so that it might be called •
revolutionist. It seemed as if they were able to
make the whole of their clay land into a kitchen
garden, and realise a mine of wealth which bad
never been discovered before. Those who made state-
ments to the public should, he said, be very careful, and
it required adititiood experience from time to tame ; but
speaking for himself—and not only for himself, because he
had compared notes with Mr. Randall, who had expressed
himself similarly—be might calculate that the effect upon
such land in four years by steam cultivation would be to
make it yield from six bushels to • quarter more per acre,
while without steam cultivation, even with much better
tillage, it would yield much less. The object the pro.
motors of the meeting had io view was that similar advan-
tages to those which they had reaped should be brought
within the reach of the agriculturists of the county ; taking
into consideratini that it was almost impossible, generally
speaking, to find a farmer with capital to work steam
ploughs on his own responsibility, the next thing to coo-
older was how they should find the way of adopting steam
cultivation. The society at Wakefield had answered this
for their neighbourhood most successfully, and be believed
the movement would meet with the same success in Wor-
cestershire. (Hear, hear.) At the preliminary meeting a
series of resolutions had been agreed upon, and it would
now depend upon their support whether the views embodied
in them would be carried out.

Lord NORTHWICK proposed the first resolution—" That
the successful application of steam power in the cultivation
of the soil le taw placed beyond doubt, and its great value
universally admitted. Means should therefore be taken to
secure its employmeut in this county." There was a society
forming in London, called the General Steam Cultivation
Society, and its secretary told him about ten days ago that
he should be present at that meeting. The London so-
ciety, when two-thirds of the sum they proposed to rain
had been obtained, would commence their operations io the
various counties in England, and already several counties
were waiting (or them to begin. Their object wee, by lot-
ting or selling steam implements, to promote the adoption
of steam, and although it was much larger than theirs
could ever hope to be, still it had the same end in view,
His lordship quite tweed with what had fallen frog
the chairman, sod thought the proposal to begin with two
sets of implements only, wise, for all who knee anything of
mochinery knew that engines mild not be need too mach,
and the expense was going so almost es much when out of
as when in use. He wished =cons to tho society.
Mr. IL F. VERNON, M.P., seconded the motion, observ-
ing that he had attended that meeting rather to show
his interest in the progress of agriculture in the county than
to make a speech. He knew little of agriculture himself,
but he sincerely hoped that the prospect held out by Mr.
Holland—that ell the clay land in the county would be turned
into good garden land—might be realised. He lived on some
of the strongest clay land in the county, and he could not help
thinking that the advantages to be gained by farmers in
his neighbourhood, especially by the application of steam
to cultivation, would be much greater than they imagined.
He hoped the scheme would be carried out effectually, and
would prove an advantage to the truant-farmer.
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
Sir E.A. H. LECHMERE quite agreed with the proposal
fora society to further the iatneluctiou of steam imple-
ments to the agriculturists of this county. He coognitu-
lated the promoters of the meeting upon the large attend-
ance of landowners, especially of tenant-farmers, without
whom the meeting would be incomplete. He believed
that steam ploughing would be of the greatest benefit to
all cottoerord in the cultivation of the lona, and onaecially
so as a means of developtug deep drainage, sod bringing
about an extension of fields, and he hoped that its adoption
would begin a new era in farming in Worceatenhire. He
moved a resolution, "That, insomuch as the cost of engines
and tackle exceeds the means of must farmers, it is desir-
able to estabilmh a joint-stock roompiiuy to promote the use
of than implements, and thereby • higher system of culti-
vation."

Mr. 14 KIN seconded the motion, which was carried unani-
mously.
Mr. T. G. CURTLER then proposed that a capital of
3,500/. should be raised, in the fist inatauce. in share. of
I/. each, to provide two tots of implemeot.. He found that
the cost of the implements used by the Wakefield &witty
was about 1.2.501. each, with threshing machines. 'l'bey
must employ proper piracies to manage the engines, from
the west of which many failures had proceeded. They
would also want some capital to bear the expense of carry-
ing them about, and to provide fur these items, and to buy
implements, the sum of 3,500 f. was proposed. Tlx object
of the society in London to which reference hail been mnde
was to let out on hire or sell implements on fair terms, the
annual payments being so arranged that the machinery will
be paid for in three years.
Mr. WFsi seconded the resolution.

11r. BA LDWIN i King's Norton), without wishing to
oppose the proposition, thought there was nothing like
double-digging the land, and that might be accomplished
if a greater amount of attention were given to the !rich
labourer—who now went to Amerks to grow corn therefor
us—and to the employment of manual labour more gene-
rally. lf, however, it was desirable to use steam me.
chinery, bethought its introduction would meet with more
suceese if it were done by a private individual instead of a
company.
_ . .

Mr. CURTLItit did not deplore the emigration to America
of the Irish labourer. Ile thought it would be a capital
thing if they would all go, and let Eeglishrnee cultivate
the soil without being shot. (Laughter.) Ile did not
think Mr. Baldwin was far from the mark when he said
that a private individual was more likely than a company
to make the scheme pay, but sa they could not tied that
private individual. they must do the next beet thing, and
oarry oat the plan with a company.

[TWOPENCE

Mr. GUILDLNG, having had some throe or four years at
steam cultivation, and tour or bye at steam thrashing, felt
perfectly satiation with the result of his experiment.
(Hear hear.) As to digging ; whoever would think of go.
mg hick to that! He never had any idea of being able to
cultivate his Lind cheaper by steam than by horse power,
bat be gained in speed, and time was now of the utmost
value. (Hear, hear.)
The resolution was then put and carried unanimonalr.
Mr. A. H. ROTDR moved the appointment of &provisional
°Dimities, theme a prospectus, allot shares, call another
meeting, sod prepare rules for the company.
Mr. BUCK wooded the motion.
Mr. J. G. WATKINS asked if the company would be esta-
blished under the Limited Liability Act
The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative, and said they
proposed that it should be conducted oo commercial princi-
ples, and no shareholder would have precedence of one who
was not a shareholder.

The resolution ;athen carried unaohnounly.
The proosedoge terminated with a vote of thsuike to the
chairman.

THE ACCIDENT ON THE LYNN AND
lILIASTANTON RAILWAY.

KING 0 LYNN, Amer!. 10.
The inquest was resumed this morning at one
o'clock.

Valentine, recalled end examined by Mr. Pitcher,
said—l have had no control over the lice so engineer to
the Lynn and Hiustanton, so far as the permanent way
and fences are concerned. It is the duty of the Great
Eastern, the working company, to keep it in repair. The
vend length of sleepers lead upon lines varies. Upon
chair-reads the sleepers are nine feet, upon this road they are
eight feet, which I think areemalto tboseon the chair-roads.
[The idiom explained the difference between chair-roads
and the rails laid on the Hunstanton line.] No aleepere
on this line are made of Scotch fir which was a dead tree.
They an se good sleepers ad need be pct into a line. He
wished to &ire his unqualified denial to a report that any
sleepers were laid down of dead wood. A great many
trees were blown down in a storm, end many of them
wen bought and used by the cootrecton, end he need
not say that wood blown down was as good as wood out
down.

Ward—l complaioed to the contractor of the in-
sufficiency of the fences, sod upon that complaint the defects
were remedied. I did not complain of the inenermiency of
the fence at the field of Mr. Bloomfield. I never saw the
ditches dry and had I supposed they would have ever
I been dry should not have allowed a one rail fence. I.
never supposed that iu a marshy country the ditches world
De
dry.
By the Coroner—l never heard of Mr. Hammond having
complained of the fence. _

JObn Thompson, of South Wootton, shepherd to Mr.
Hammond, said—Mr. Hammond has • considerable quantity
of laud next the railway. The fences in my judgment have
been fences that would not stand against any kind of stock,
either sheep, bullock; or horses. I wmy horses
on, but I have the bullocks and sheep. The bullocks
walked quite over the fence sod back apin, when I drove
them back. I have seen Mr. Bloomfield's bullocks on the
line ibis summer, within the last month.
By Mr. Edwards--Tbe cattle walk over the ditch and
fence aa if it were s daisy. (Laughter.)
By the Jory—l have complained to the men at work on
the lief% and they said they bad complained to their
masters.

By Mr. Edwards—They have always attended to anything
that was wanted.

By the Commer-1 could have pulled the fences down
myself. . _ _

Captain Tyler then presented the following report:—
. • I have inspected, in the coarse of Saturday evening and
this morning, the fences on the Hunstantoo Railway, mid
also the carriages which were fractured in the accident
on the 3rd of August. I God that No. 51 is the third-
clam carriage, strutting in the yard at Lynn, which came
into collision with • first-clam carriage immediately in front
of it, and that this carriage does not appear to have any
decayed wood about it, though it is of weak construe.
taw. Its front end part of its left side ware Move in,
aad many of the seats were displaced lied broken. No. 279,
third clan carriage, which lies on its side at the site of the
accident, was next behind it in the train, and contains some
wood in an advanced state of decay at each end under the
body tinting on the buffer plank& The statements differ as
to which of thane carriages contained the greatest number
of plenums, but I have avast( been more particularly
struck with the condition of No. 51 carriage, and the way in
which that carriage was broken up, with comparatively little
injury to the stronger carriage in front of it with which is
came in contact. The experience of railway accidents has
amply shown that the moat perilous caws are constantly un-
attended with loss of life, when either from the strength of
the carriages or their position the bodies of tibecerriageoare
sot broken up ; end that on the other hand, it is when the
bodies of carriages give way that the loss of life and serious
injuries are caused to the passengers riding in them. The
poorer chimes of passengers are more liable to suffer in
such cases for two reasons—fiat, because they ride in
carriages of weaker construction ; and secondly, because
their carriages are not well padded. It is true that car-
riages are built to run upon the rails, and are not in-
tended to come into collision with one another ; but they
may be called upon to mist ettraordinary strains at
any. moment ; and when this test is brought to hem upon a
train, the difference of strength in the carriages is fre-
quently one of life or death to the passengers who
ride in them. It may be well to observe that the axles
of No. 51 (the carriage which was first thrown off the line)
are lower than those of the other carriages, and that this
circunestence appears to have caused that carriage to leave
the lime. The esgius mod tender penned over the bullock
with no other injury than the fracture of one of the feed-
! pipes and a bulge to the ash-pen, and it remained between
the wheels of the three first carriages as they pined on it.
The two axles of the fourth carriage appear (from the marks
on them) to have struck it one after the other, and it
afterwards got outside of the rails to the west of the line,
sa is evident from the marks on the remaining carriages.
The fencing at the aides of this lineconsiste, in parte, of a
post-and-rail tepee, with four rails about three feet six
inches high, sad with • small ditch to prevent cattle
from rubbing against it ; in other parts, of a ditch
from six feet six inches to 14 feet wide, from three feet
to five feet six inches deep ; in some places dry, and in
otters containing water from a few toches to three feet
deep. The ditch usually bass low rail on the inside of it,
but to some places there is no red, and in others there are
two rails. The new fence which iv being constructed by
the company consist' of seven wires, supported on iron
strung posts and intermediate wood poets, and is an excel-
lent one. The lowest part of the fence opposite Mr. Bloom-
field's oocupetioo appear to be 11 feet wide at the top by
three feet deep, with • rail nice and a half inches high on
the inside. The sides of the ditch are not sufficiently clean
and steep. The wire fence which the company are now
putting up on this part of the line will make it perfectly
safe. The gate referred to by Mr. Royston as that one
which be mw • cow jump is 3 feet 5) Urchin high iu the
lowest part measured oar the outside, and the cow jumped
slightly uphill. As the cattle will jump such gates it
would be well either to have them higher or to place • bar
over them, so as to give them • minimum height of four
feet. I consider myself, and it appear, to have been the
opinion of Rime gentlemen who eccompanied me. that •
ditch ten or twelve feet wide and four feet deep, with two
feet of water in it, with steep sides and in good condition,
is • sufficient fence to keep out sheep and cattle. But when
the ditch is dry and the sides in bed order, one low
rail on the inside is not sufficient protection. The
ditches generally reptire cleaning out. mid in many
places where the water is low, or the banks low or sloping,
some extra protection is required. The present appears to
be a very dry season. sod the fences may be considered to
be even at their worst ; and 1 think that, taking the above
dimes ion, as the minimum of what a sufficient fence ought
to be, it would be dedrable to add a second rail on
the inside of the ditches, or to afford other tipsily
a:WO...troy protection is all comes in which these Ilimeusions
are sot reached. The quirks which were put in during the
construct:ou of the line are now nearly covered with
grass and weeds, and should be properly cultivated. I
observe that the rate fastenings require to be improved in
some pieces, and it dorm sot appear that padlocks have yet
Wee supplied to the farmers, though chides and hooks have
been placed upon mitt of the pare.
Mr. Edward. °indeed permission of the coronet to
address the jury. lie went through the evidence, and
express rd on leoh.,lf of the compel.), the greatest regret at
the accident and the most pr found commiseration with the
sufferers. Ile called the attention of the jury more parti-
cularly to the fact that the directors of the llunstanton line
were their ewe townsmen del neighbours, who had opened
the line of railway and hail afforded healthy recreation to
hundreds alai thousands. Monday last would be to them •
fatal day for the rest of their lives, nod be implored the
jury not to send them sway from the court with the iuipu-
tattoo of blood upon their beads. _

The coroner then summed up, and the jury retired at
about • quarter to four o'clock. Ultiniately they re-
turned • verdict of accidental death of the five per-
sous, caused by • bullock straying on the line, through
the grow negligenoe of the authorities of the Great
Eudern ilall trey and their officers— find, by not putting
the (mime into • state of safety ; secondly, by not putting
the bullocks off the hue •here the socident occurred ;
thirdly, by the disgraceful state of the carriages used for
the conveyance of the unfortunete persons. The jury also
consider that the government inspectors are deserving of
integer., for pasting it line so inadequately fenced.
The inquest before the borough coroner upon the body
of Mr. Devinshas been adjourned until Wednesday.

Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial
Office, from the Gowen:ion of the Cape of Good Hope,
Gibraltar, Malta, Mauritius, Canada, and British Colombia.
Despatches were moat to the Governors of Ceyloo, Hoag
K•mg and Labor°.