The Farm Prize Competitions. 215 



one in particular being- quite fat. The cattle are a very fine 

 lot of Herefords with just a touch of Shorthorn blood. Each 

 of the cows rears two calves in the year, and most of them 

 finish up fine carcasses for the butcher, though now and then 

 a deep milker is sold as a down-calver. There are eight of 

 them, all reared on the farm, with fifteen yearlings and eleven 

 calves, nearly all home-bred. Mr. Evans has recently invested 

 in a pedigree Hereford bull, which is certainly more satisfactory 

 than dependence on his neighbours' sires. The sheep are 

 Kerry Hills crossed with an Oxford tup for early lamb, and 

 nearly all of the lambs had gone before the Royal Show. The 

 pigs are large whites, home-bred, and just useful. 



On the whole it may be described as a wonderful piece of 

 intensive farming for so small a holding. 



Second prize in this class went to Mr. James Owen of 

 Cockshutt, Montgomery. This little farm is near the town 

 of Montgomery, and about four miles distant from Montgomery 

 station. It is 75 acres in extent, of which only 18 acres 

 are arable. The soil is heavy, overlying clay, and a five- 

 course rotation is practised, oats following the wheat crop. 

 After an early harvest Mr. Owen follows the good practice 

 of sowing mnstard on the stubbles, but this is not very 

 often possil)le. The most notable thing about the corn 

 crops was the backwardness of the barley. The grass land 

 runs down to the river and two of the meadows are flooded 

 in the late autumn with the first flush of water. The rest is 

 treated alternately with farmyard manure and basic slag, in 

 rotation. As in the case of the previous farm the meadows 

 were still uncut in July and such weeds as Yorkshire fog were 

 seeding ; otherwise it was a beautiful cut, which drew a special 

 remark from the Judges. 



There were two brood mares on this holding, one bred by 

 the tenant, and with one exception all the cattle were home- 

 bred. They were mostly Herefords, and very nice, and it is 

 rather remarkal)le to note that during winter the cows get 

 nothing but straw, while it lasts, and hay after calving. There 

 are also a few Shorthorn cows, and these get a few pounds of 

 kibbled oats and Bibby meal in addition. Notwithstanding 

 this rather Spartan fare the Hereford cows are expected to rear 

 three calves — a much more productive system of management 

 than that usually adopted with Herefords. Mr, Owen com- 

 plain etl of the cost of good calves. It was interesting to note 

 that he had given up grazing all his stock on for beef, in order 

 that he might take advantage of the prevailing high price of 

 (stores. 



The whole of the sheep are I'egistered-- Kerry Hills, and 

 Mr. Owen follows a very unusual practice in keeping back 



