314 Farm Prize Competition, 1911. 



aTid go to the marshes in April, where they remain all the 

 summer, some of them being sold off " fat." About fifty 

 return late in August, and are grazed (fed in yards) and sold at 

 Christmas. Roots, when plentiful, are given almost ad lib. 

 to the bullocks, which receive in addition 7 to 14 lb. of 

 cake, half cotton (Egyptian), half linseed, and 3 lb. bean 

 meal. The long hay is given to the grazing bullocks, 

 because sometimes it is difficult to keep them from scouring. 

 The bullocks are simply dung-making machines for the 

 farm to make the straw into manure. They are fed, when 

 stores, on pulped roots, 4 lb. cotton and linseed cake mixed, 

 cut straw, and long straw. When grazing they receive 7 to 

 14 lb. mixed cake, 3 lb. bean meal, with coarse-cut roots and 

 long hay. In winter the stores run out on the grasses, and 

 come up into the yards at noontime. 



Sheep. — Six hundred half-bred ewes are kept. They are 

 by Cotswold i*ams out of Suffolk ewes. The Oxford Down 

 rams are put to the ewes in October, and lambing usually com- 

 mences about the last week in February, the lambs being all 

 kept and grazed right out on the place, and are usually all gone 

 by March. The idea is to push the lambs along and get them 

 fat as soon as possible. The ewes feed over the " ollands " in 

 iron hurdles at night, and run on the grasses and commons in 

 the daytime until November, when they go to roots at night. 

 During early December they are given linseed cake or Windsor 

 beans thrown on clean dry grasses, never trough fed, because 

 the ewes knock one another about round the troughs, and Mr. 

 Knight thinks this causes or tends to cause premature lambing 

 or abortion. They receive green-top swedes till lambing 

 is nearly due, then half kale and half swedes right through 

 lambing. White turnips are not a success on this land. The 

 lambs run on the seeds and " eddishes " until early cabbages 

 and white turnips are ready. In October they are divided 

 into twelve score lots, and have ground roots with linseed and 

 cotton cake, half and half, 1 stone to twenty sheep. The roots 

 for the bullocks are drawn off in front of the lambs, eight 

 drills being taken and twenty left. 



The buildings are good, being quite sufficient for the farm, 

 and are tidily kept by the tenant. There are thirteen cottages 

 occupied by the steward and men working on the farm, 

 some of whom pay rent, according to agreement. The 

 landlord is responsible for the outside repairs, and also gene- 

 rously helps with the inside as well. Labour consists of 

 twenty-three men and boys, including the steward, who takes 

 daily orders, and does nothing on his own account unless the 

 master is absent. Outside labour is taken on for hoeing and 

 harvest, and piece-work is done whenever possible. 



