210 The Farm Prize Competitions. 



very much improved upon it. As regards the pigstyes, Mr. 

 Nunnerley finds that the pigs in those facing south do better 

 than the ones in those facing north, though the latter do quite 

 well. Many improvements have been effected by the tenant, 

 notably the erection of some Dutch barns, and some useful 

 sheds and feeding boxes for stock. A large number of fruit 

 trees both at Kenwick and at Belton have been planted by him. 

 Mr. Nunnerley's rotation is the usual four course, i.e., roots, 

 barley or oats, seeds, barley or wheat. No catch cropping is 

 practised. The arable land extends to about 237 acres, and 

 it was cropped this year as follows : — 



55 acres roots 



82 „ barley 



80 ,, seed 



20 ,, oats 

 237 



This plough land was in excellent condition, and many 

 purely arable farmers might well take it as an example. Mr. 

 Nunnerley is always careful to alternate his mangolds and 

 swedes, so that swedes do not follow swedes except after an 

 eight-year interval, thus giving "finger and toe" less chance 

 of infecting the land. For mangolds 15 tons of farmyard 

 manure are ploughed in in autumn, and 5 cwt. kainit and the 

 same quantity of bone-meal are applied in the early spring: 

 the swedes get 12 tons of farmyard manure and 4 cwt. 

 each of kainit and bone-meal. Land for roots is grubbed 

 immediately after harvest, i.e., cultivated three horses abreast 

 with a strong cultivator, well harrowed, and if necessary 

 forked clean; then for mangolds 15 to 18 tons, for swedes 

 12 to 15 tons, of farmyard manure is ploughed in during 

 winter. Five cwt. kainit is applied in early spring and 

 5 cwt. of some special manure when ridging for sowing ; this 

 leaves the land in good form for barley and seeds to follow. 

 The barley before harvest promised an excellent yield. The 

 grass land" extends to some 508 acres, and here Mr. Nunnerley 

 has been to some considerable expense in re-planning the fields, 

 many chains of old and tortuous fences having been grubbed, 

 and new ones planted. In common with many other farmers 

 of this district he likes huge fields of about 100 acres ; these 

 are sometimes necessary where drinking places are difficult to 

 provide, but this was not the case at Kenwick. These huge 

 fields prevent level grazing, the cattle leave anything coarse 

 until they are forced to eat it, and the result is that strong 

 coarse grass and weeds keep getting more and more the upper 

 hand by seeding, and gradually the sward is spoilt. There was 

 some evidence of this on Mr. Nunnerley's farm, notably fog, 

 but it is a hundred times worse on other farms in the district. 



