586 Report on the Farm-Prize Competition of 1874. 



The whole of the store steers were having an allowance daily 

 of chopped straw, mangolds, and bran, with 4 lbs. of cake. The 

 three-jear-olds were bought in November, at an average of about 

 19Z. each, and were a very useful lot : they were grazed this 

 summer on the best of the Bromham land, an allowance of cake 

 being continued, and, at our last inspection, had made very 

 satisfactory progress, being then worth nearly 30Z. each. 



The nine Welsh runts, which were in the stalls, Mr. Howard 

 had not found a very profitable investment, as they were evi- 

 dently very slow feeders ; they were having an allowance of 

 8 lbs. of cake, and half peck of meal, with hay and chaff. The 

 remainder of the Welsh runts and shorthorn steers were grazed 

 in Bromham Park and had done well, especially the former, 

 which were for the most part fat, 



Mr. Howard has, for many years, been a most successful 

 breeder of Oxford Down sheep, and has realised very high prices 

 for rams at his annual sales. With his European reputation, the 

 flock needs but an endorsement of its excellence from us. The 

 lambs were scarcely in their usual form this year, which is doubt- 

 less due to the long drought. We thought the rams an extremely 

 good lot. 



Of the 386 ewes, 216 only are reserved for ram breeding, and 

 are kept principally at Biddenham ; the remaining 170 compose 

 the Bromham flock, and do not cg-ll for particular notice, except 

 that they are useful farmer's sheep. The whole flock consisted, 

 in February, of 



77 Ram tegs. 

 13 Show ditto. 

 12 Old rams. 



100 Biddenham ewe tegs. 

 233 Feeding tegs. 

 102 Shearlings. 



78 Ewe tegs for flock. 

 19 Ditto for exhibition. 



216 Biddenham ewes. 

 171 Bromham ditto. 



In the winter, the ewes are penned on the roots in the daytime, 

 and turned on the grass at night ; for a short time before and 

 after lambing they have an allowance of cut clover and malt-dust. 

 The lambs are weaned about the latter end of June, and are 

 then run upon the eddishes. The feeding-sheep on roots have 

 a mixture of split beans, peas, locust beans, and cake, daily. 

 Mr. Howard has this year used the Marseilles cake, which costs 

 11/. 15^. per ton, and also a large quantity of Matthews' corn 

 cake, which he finds very beneficial, especially for lambs. 



