ZTbe Gofees of Ibolfebam 211 



world that he had more in him than most people thou 

 He knew very little of farming, but he had plenty of 

 good common sense, a clear head, and a quick brain. 

 He wisely took counsel with practical farmers, among 

 them his young friend Francis, Duke of Bedford, who 

 was already making his mark as an agriculturist. 



In the year 1778 at shearing-time he invited a number 

 of farmers from neighbouring districts to come and 

 examine his Park Farm and discuss with him its manage- 

 ment. And so originated the famous " Holkham 

 Shearings," or " Coke's Clippings," as Norfolk men 

 dubbed them, which were continued annually for more 

 than forty years, and were ranked amongst the most 

 important agricultural meetings in the kingdom. 



For three days every July Mr. Coke kept open house 

 at Holkham. The mornings were passed in inspecting 

 the farms, the produce, the new machinery, the cattle, 

 and sheep, and all the latest improvements in husbandry ; 

 the afternoons in watching ploughing and shearing 

 matches and distributing prizes to successful com- 

 petitors. 



With "Coke of Norfolk " on horseback at their head, 

 hundreds of agricultural enthusiasts rode or drove over 

 the different portions of the vast estate 44,000 acres 

 within a ring fence ; and when the day's excursion was 

 over, six hundred guests would sit down in the noble 

 statue-gallery to enjoy the host's magnificent hospitality. 



The secret of Mr. Coke's success in cultivating his 

 Holkham estates lay in high manuring, constant marling, 

 and dressing with rape seed. It was part of his system, 

 too, to stock his farms heavily, but, as fre said, " more 



