536
EXPOSITION" AT VIENNA.
height the yield of cultivated land can reach in a short period by the judicious application of labor, manuring, and the proper rotation of crops. They impress us, also, with the belief that this productive power is capable of still greater development if all the fields are thoroughly manured, and labor is applied in the most advantageous manner.
The cultivation of my land has by no means reached perfection. I had supposed that under my supervision it was as thorough as possible; yet many deficiencies are apparent, which I have not yet been able to meet. Although my directions are that the earth is to be ploughed to a depth of twelve to fifteen inches, this is not always a possibility, partly since the supervision of such a large number of ploughs, often fifty to eighty working at once, is very difficult, and in case of dry or wet weather is utterly impossible, with the present weak labor of boys mostly from thirteen to sixteen years of age.
It would be possible, of course, to work the soil still deeper and more evenly by means of steam-ploughs; but here arises the unavoidable difficulty, which also occurs in ploughing with cattle, of preventing the soil broken to such a depth, especially when it is still moist, from being trodden hard again by the first harrowing, rolling, sowing, and after-harrowing, etc. My endeavor is now to overcome this difficulty, and to secure the advantages of subsoil ploughing to the depth of twelve and fifteen inches, as I have been in the habit of conducting it.
For this purpose I have ordered, as before mentioned, a steam-plough with two locomotives, to be used also for road- hauling, and two transportable gins, from the renowned English machine-works of John Fowler, & Co., in Leeds.
My object is especially to apply my system of ploughing, according to which a double operation is carried on at the same time. The upper layer of soil of the depth of three to four inches is turned over, and also the subsoil is ploughed up to a great depth without being mixed with the upper layer. This is accomplished with my Fuchadlo, with two subsoil shares constructed for the purpose. The English firm spoken of has expressed its willingness to fulfil my order, and has received from me a specimen of my Fuchadlo.
By means of the two gins the remaining labor of working