The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-11-05

the steam horse to tread the land in
unfavorable weather; he may work when
the animal must stand still. Give him
coal, give him oil, he never tires! What
would no the farmer give, in very many
cases of emergency, to have such a
power brought to his aid.
Besides this, the steam-horse can
thrash his corn, cut his chaf, break his
cake, grind his beans, his oats, and his
barley for farm service; and then, again,
as a recreation, turn to and cultivate
his field to any extent, and do many
other works for which he ID we'll
adapted. In drawing his carriages, his
harvest carts, his dung carts, his drain
ing plough, or his reaper, he is not to
be despised the farmer has only to
make suitable arrangements as to the
place and position of his stacks, or the
rows for his manure heaps or spreading.
The same appliances may be readily
brought to bear in executing the work
of each field, providing it be done IN
the field. Nor is it in the fulilment of
the ordinary operations of field work that
we view the introduction of a steam-mo-
tive power with so much interest. Our
a~nticipations go much further. We be-
lieve it will revolutionise the whole or
der of farm management, and every de-
partment thereof. Take the clays of
this great clay country-for the MAORI
ty of soils in this country consists of re-
t~entive forms or stiff clays-bring the
steady draught of windlass and chain
worked by steam-power to bear upon
them at great and equal depth till the
whole is deeply pulverized and commin-
uted for every required purpose. We
admit of no bounds, no limit to the pro-
ductive power of such soils under per-
feet culture. We conld point to many
cases of retentive clay soils under such
culture, which have yielded splendid
crops of wheat and potatoes successfully
for many years and u conviction is
that by steam appliances, judiciously
carried out, farmers on such soils may
be enabled with the usual aids of fold
ward manure and artificial dressings) to
produce the most valuable crops with
out intermission; and, if they please,
successive crops of the same grain
wheat, for instance. We know it is now
done upon a poor clay soil, and that
without the application of cny manure
whatever; aeration of the soil by atmos-
pheric influence alone sufficient to keep
up its fertility, supplied, as it is, by fire.
quent STRINGS or workings at great
depth. Take again common farm man.
agement. What a revolution will the
vast powers of steam effect in ordinary
farm practice! Autumn culture would
be perfected whilst the farm-horses are
securing the harvest. The steam plough,
or digger, or c%ultivator, or scarifier, OF
broad-share, or barrow, or any other ap.
pliauce whatever is best calculated tc
achieve in management what the farmer
in his jugment sees most desirable, car
be set to work and, what is better, il
can, we have before said, be kept al
work from early dawn to dark night ii
matters not how many relays of men
may be required, the power we have, and
we must use it. Autumn cultivation il
invaluable, but it is scarcely practised
or to a very limited extent, simply from
the i~nadequacy of means at the farmers
command. This would soon become
universal the good sense of the farmers
would speedily induce them to adopt il
generally; at present its universally i!
impracticable. Again, this motive pow
er can be applied at all times, or nearly
SO. Upon well drained lands 10 ordi
nary rains need impede it there is NJ
tread of the horse to poaeh the land al
is broken up, and a few hours sun oil
wind will soon prepare it for further
working. We might bring many instan.
ces to prove it's exceeding usefulness il
this respect as to farm management.