Dimensions
189 x 246 x 20mm
The nineteenth century was the great age of steam. Steam on the Farm traces the history and development of the agricultural use of steam power from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the end of the Second World War and considers how it was actually used. · Demonstrates how steam power was used in agriculture for threshing, ploughing and land drainage· Considers the development, with reference to both the failures and the successes, of all the different types of steam engines and equipment, including stationary and portable engines, traction engines, rotary cultivators and steam diggers· Pays attention to the people who operated the new machines and to the activities of the contractors who undertook most of the work involving steam engines on the farm· Traces the decline of agricultural steam power from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards Written by an acknowledged expert and beautifully illustrated, this is the first book in over thirty years to present such a comprehensive view of the development of steam power in British farming. AUTHOR: Jonathan Brown studied history at Manchester University and then went on to complete a PhD on ?farming in Lincolnshire in the late nineteenth century'. He has written numerous books and articles on various aspects of British agricultural history and worked for many years at the University of Reading's Museum of English Rural Life. At the Museum Jonathan was surrounded by the records of steam power in agriculture, for the archives of several engine manufacturers are kept there, and this formed the background to the writing of this book. Resident - Berkshire 100 b/w photos
