228 Farm Prize Competition, 1912. 



REPORT OF JUDGES IN CLASSES I. AND II. 



First Prize Farm in Class I. 



Occupied by Mr. RicluD'd Machin, Gattal Orange, Whixley, 



Yorkshire. 



This farm consists of 252 acres arable and 145 acres grass, 

 and has been held on yearly tenancy by Mr. Machin under 

 Major Dent for thirty years. The soil is of a mixed character, 

 varying from a strong loam to a sandy nature, but it is " two- 

 horse " land and suitable for folding by sheep. The course of 

 cropping pursued is a six course — roots, barley, barley, seeds, 

 wheat, oats. The strong land has seeds followed by oats, 

 followed by wheat, and the light land has seeds followed by 

 wheat followed by oats. The oats following seeds on the strong 

 land receive 6 cwt. of rape dust and are top dressed. The 

 cropping for 1912 was : seeds, 39 acres ; wheat, 18 acres ; oats, 

 63 acres ; roots, 51 acres ; and barley, 80 acres ; total, 251 acres. 

 Roots receive 15 to 20 tons of farmyard manure and 5 cwt. best 

 fish meal per acre. Barley after roots is manui^ed for by the 

 sheep folded on the roots on which they receive cake. Of the 

 swede crop twenty-seven rows are fed on the land for every 

 eighteen drawn off. Barley after barley receives eight loads 

 farmyard manure per acre. The seeds mixture consists of 7 lb. 

 red clover, 2 lb. alsike, 6 lb. white clover, and 1 lb. Italian 

 rye-grass. The seeds are partly mown and partly pastured, the 

 latter having cake eaten on by sheep. Every sixth year 1 ton 

 of lime is applied per acre for the seeds crop to keep the land 

 sweet and free from moulds. Wheat or oats coming after seeds 

 receives nothing but the manure left by the pasturing sheep. 

 The grass land, of which 177 acres are grazed and 28 acres mown, 

 receives seven loads farmyard manure and special grass manure 

 in alternate years for the mowing land, and the pasture is 

 grazed by liul locks which are heavily fed with cake. 



The stock seen consisted of fourteen non-pedigree Shire horses 

 from three to five years old, two diiving horses, ninety-five 

 Irish bullocks, six home-bred cows, three home-bred heifers, 

 five home-bred yearlings, 350 cross-bred hoggets, forty pure 

 Berkshire-bred pigs, and nine large black pigs. 



Too much cannot be said of the quality of the stock on this 

 farm. The Horses are all under six years old, it being the 

 custom of this tenant to buy in young horses to work the land, 

 and sell them out as soon as they are suitable for town work, 

 and by so doing making a profit on his farm horses. 



Cattle. — About 160 prime three-year-old bullocks of splendid 

 quality. Over 200 are made fit for the butcher during the 

 year. These are all bought in to graze, and consume large 

 quantities of cake and meals on the holding. 



