Farm Prize Competition^ 1911. 311 



greater part of the drainage from the buildings is taken off by 

 surface drains, which ai*e found to be the best, as there is then 

 no trouble with blocked drains. All the liquid manure goes 

 into a large tank, and is carted on to the pastures from time to 

 time. The manure is removed from the cowhouses in tipping 

 trollies, which are on runners suspended from an overhead rail, 

 by which means they are run to a covered yard quite away from 

 the cowhouses, where the manure is stored. This ingenious 

 arrangement is well worth seeing. 



The food preparing arrangements are also interesting. The 

 chaffcutter is fitted with a blower, which blows the chaff up a 

 pipe to a loft above, to be dropped down as required. The 

 roots ai'e lifted by a specially constructed lifter into a cleaner, 

 which drops them into a pulper, or into a slicer which is on 

 a loft, the ground roots dropping in two heaps on the floor of 

 the food preparing house. The corn is all ground by 4-ft. 

 French burr stones, a 10 H.P. Blackstone oil engine providing 

 the power. 



The premises and the farm house are lighted with acetylene 

 gas, which, according to Mr. Rackham, gives a splendid light 

 and requires very little attention. 



This is a model dairy farm, everything being up to date. 

 The buildings are good. The farm is well equipped with good 

 implements which are kept in excellent order, and well used. 

 There are several excellent arrangements for labour saving, and 

 yet the labour bill is high, but a most satisfactory return is 

 obtained. The farm mainly consists of rich land, most of it 

 clean, with crops good and yielding well. The very good herd 

 of heavy milking cows are kept in splendid condition, being 

 liberally fed with cake and corn, and as a result their rich 

 manure goes far to preserve the fertility which here is so notice- 

 able. The general appearance of the homestead and buildings 

 is neat and clean. The cottages ate good and well kept. 



Mr. Rackham appears to be making the most of his oppor- 

 tunities and occiipation. 



Second Prize Farm in Class I. 



Occupied hy Mr. F. John Knight, Abbey Farm, East Walton, 

 King's Lynn. 



This farm consists of 900 acres arable and 192 acres of per- 

 manent pasture, with 90 acres of salt marshes at South Wootton, 

 and is held on a yearly tenancy under Henry Birkbeck, Esq., 

 High House, Westacre. 



The land is mostly very light, with a chalk subsoil. About 

 one-third of the farm is sand with gravel subsoil. The famous 

 Norfolk " four-course " system of cropping is adopted, with 



