328. 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



The management of this competition was entrusted to Mr. 

 Archd. Moore, his grace's agent at Stanwick. Tne gentlemen 

 whom Mr. Moore was so fortunate as to secure for the per- 

 formance of the important duty of judges were Mr. Joseph 

 Snowball, of Netherwitton, agent of the Earl of Eldon, Mr. 

 Edward Lawson, of Redesdale Cottage, agent of Lord Redes- 

 dale, Admiral Mitford, &c., and Mr. Robert James Wiley, of 

 Winterfield, Citterick, agent of hia grace the Duke of 

 Leeds ; and it is not going too far to say that to the able and 

 impartial manner in which they have performed their task, is 

 due the success of an experiment which might possibly other- 

 wise not have survived the first year. Competitors were re- 

 quired to signify their intention to compete on or before the 

 13th May, 1855, and the two succeeding years ; and the first 

 award was made in the second week of August, of 1855 ; the 

 second in the week ending the 30th of August, 1856 ; and the 

 third, made last week, completes the term over which it was 

 intimated that the competition would extend. The general re- 

 sult is that there have been sixteen entries in all ; and it may 

 be accepted as indicative of the feelmg of the competitors, 

 that everything was satisfactorily conducted ; that one com- 

 petitor offered himself twice, on the second occasion obtaining 

 the prize ; and that t^o other competitors entered the list of 

 competition every year. Though not successful in gaining 

 the prize in their different classes, they received — what was 

 nearly of equal value — the high, twice repeated, and unanimous 

 commendation of the judges. The competitors to whom we 

 have alluded are Mr. Richard Kay, of Forcett Valley, the 

 tenant of John Mitchell, Esq., of Forcett Hall, an extensive 

 and liberal-minded landlord in that quarter, and who gained 

 the prize in the second year ; and Mr. John Clark, of Ald- 

 brough, and Mr. George Bowes, of Layton Moor Farm. For 

 the smaller prize of £15 on this occasion the successful com- 

 petitor was Mr. James Newhouse, who occupies a farm at 

 Caldwell, under the Earl of Brownlow. This farm, which has 

 been in the occupancy of the same family for two or three 

 generations, is of 123 acres, about half tillage and half pasture, 

 beautifully situated on a sloping ground. It is unnecessary to 

 particularise the various features of this farm, which, like all 

 that were inspected, is cultivated on the four-course shift ; 

 and the excellent cheeses produced from the dairy of this farm, 

 under the name of Caldwell cheese, have obtained considerable 

 fame. Mr. Bowes, who also competed for this prize, and is 

 a tenant of Mr. Kemp, is, it will be seen, highly commended. 

 For the larger prize of £30, the competition, which was ex- 

 tremely close, was eventually narrowed to Mr. Henry Eales, 

 the holder of 320 acres of good and advantageously situated 

 land, held under Mr. Kemp, at East Layton ; and Mr. Clark, 

 the tenant of a fertile and admirably-situated farm of 425 

 acres at Aldborough. Mr. Eales had about 100 acres in grass, 

 and the remainder in tillage ; Mr. Clark had about half in till- 

 age and the other half in grass. On both fa\ms, especially 

 on that of Mr. Clark, considerable attention had been given to 

 stock, and several fine animals were inspected. The course 

 and excellence of husbandry of the two were not much unlike ; 

 on the farm of Mr. Clark, it having come under review, on 

 three different occasions, the improvements in many respects 

 were more apparent. Up to a certain point there is little doubt 

 that he would have carried off the premium, the successful re- 

 ward of spirited competition over three years, and the merit 

 of which would have been enhanced by the circumstance that, 

 though his younger competitor now appeared for the first time 

 he had manifestly been preparing for this trial in the previous 

 years. It was in this nicely-balaoced condition of the scales 

 that the judges, after going over the bulk of the farm, went to 

 complete the exammatiou by inspecting three fields which lay 



apart from the rest of the farm, at a considerable distance along 

 the road, which probably on that account had not received the 

 same attention as the rest of the farm ; and it appears to have 

 been the state of these fields, part in fallow and part in beans, 

 which decided the competition against him, without detracting, 

 however, from the merit which beloEged to him for his manage- 

 ment of the body of his farm, and to which the judges paid a 

 merited tribute of commendation. The inspection closed on 

 Thursday afternoon, aud the judges then compared notes, and 

 gave in their decision to Mr. Moore as follow :— 



AWARD OF THE JUDGES. 



We having been appointed to award the prizes given by His 

 Grace the Duke of Northumberland, of £30 and £15, for the 

 best-cultivated farms within the townships of Stanwick, Ald- 

 brough, Melsonby, Gales, Dalton, Forcett, Eppleby, East and 

 West Layton, Caldwell, Barforth, Cliffe, Manfield, and in- 

 cluding all tenants of his Grace in Yorkshire, hereby award to 

 Mr. Henry Eales, of East Layton, tenant of Edward R. Kemp, 

 Esq., thirty pounds, being the sum to be awarded for the best- 

 cultivated farm exceeding two hundred acres, and to Mr. 

 Jas. Newhouse, of Caldwell, tenant of the earl of Brownlow, 

 fifteen pounds, being the sum to be awarded for the best cul- 

 tivated farm not exceeding 200 acres, these premiums being 

 awarded with reference to the cultivation of the farm, the state 

 of the roads, fences, and gates, water-courses, buildings, live 

 stock, implements, best-kept accounts, the use of artificial 

 manure, and including everything connected with good hus- 

 bandry. 



In making this award we think it due to Mr. Clark, of Ald- 

 brough, to state that, with the exception of three fields, we 

 considered the merit between Mr. Eales and him equal, and 

 that great credit is due to him for the improved management 

 and the state of his farm. We are also glad to observe the 

 continued great industry of Mr. Bowes, of Layton Moor, and 

 the neatness and cleanliness of his farm. 



This being the concluding year of the competition, we con- 

 sider it proper on our part to state that we have been informed 

 generally, and it is also our own conviction, that the object for 

 which these premiums were given has to a great extent been 

 accomplished, and that they have created a greater spirit for 

 agricultural improvements amongst the farmers in the district. 



Robert James Wiley, 

 Edward Lawson, 

 Josh. Snowball. 



With reference to the concluding paragraph of the award, 

 it may be observed that it was apparent, on visiting the farms, 

 that great interest and a salutary stimulus to improvement 

 had been afforded by these prizes, which it was stated by an 

 extensive landowner of the neighbourhood had extended more 

 or less to the neighbouring farms not in competition, and 

 thereby operated to the advantage of both landlord and tenant ; 

 that the liberality of His Grace had been generally appre- 

 ciated ; and that the result of these annual competitions had 

 been to excite a healthy emulation, and, as the judges observe, 

 " create a greater spirit of emulation among the farmers of 

 the district." The judges had also on this occasion to perform 

 a slight supplementary duty, namely, to decide a match be- 

 tween Mr. Moore, Hia Grace's agent, and Mr. Kemp, to whom 

 reference has already been made, for the best field of turnips, 

 which, on inspection, they decided in favour of Mr. Moore. It 

 may be added that on this, as on former occasions, a party had 

 been invited to share the hospitalities of Carlton HalL — New- 

 . castle Courant, 



