108 Accounts of a Hampshire Down Flock. [May, 



Now the land under corn on the same farm that year made 

 an average profit of £4 12s. an acre, and it is in the light of this 

 figure that the really unprofitable nature of the flock is seen. 

 Land which will produce a profit of £4 12s. an acre under corn 

 will produce no profit at all but only a low rate of interest on the 

 extra capital at stake when its produce is marketed in the form 

 of a pedigree flock. 



It may be urged that the corn could not be grown but for the 

 sheeping the land had received. The proposition is debatable, 

 but at any rate the flock gets ample credit for what is 

 done in this direction, because the subsequent crops have 

 to jDay off some £3 an acre of mammal residues in 

 addition to £'2 an acre or so of cleaning costs. While there 

 can be no doubt about the enrichment of the soil effected 

 by the heavy cake and corn feeding accompanying its folding 

 over by a pedigree flock it is often difficult to get a paying return 

 for this manuring. If the fold is late in March or even February, 

 it is often difficult to get spring corn sown on a satisfactory tilth 

 in time to secure a good crop, one that is in any way proportional 

 to the manure residues supposed to be in the land. On these 

 chalk soils the spring drought may set in early, and the two 

 dominant factors in securing a good crop are early sowing and a 

 good tilth. Actually on this farm wheat is the profitable crop 

 rather than spring oats and barley, because it does not suffer 

 from the late tilth and has not to pay so much of the costs carried 

 over from the folding. In fact the corn is most profitable on the 

 land that is never sheeped. 



Another objection may be taken to the general conclusion as to 

 the unprofitable nature of the flock — that it is not quite big 

 enough nor skilfully enough managed to attain the results that 

 alone will pay for the expense involved. The prices realised for 

 pedigree rams by a flock which is recognised as among the two 

 or three leading flocks in the country, the sort of flock which 

 wins first prizes at the Eoyal Show, are very different 

 from the prices obtained by a flock which just misses the 

 highest position. Such a position has not been attaired 

 by this flock, whose show record for 1920 was one third 

 prize at the Eoyal Counties Show, two second and two third 

 prizes at the Bath and West Show, and one second prize at 

 the Hampshire Down Society's Breed Show. The truth of both 

 objections may be admitted. A flock of 400 or 500 has a much 

 greater chance of winning prizes than one of 200. merely because 

 there are more to select from. The expenses increase with 



