20 Report on the Farm-Prize Competition, 1878. 
The tenancy is a yearly one, with a Lady-day entry, and the 
farm is occupied by Mr. John Maskelyne, who in his certificate 
of entry describes the nature of the soil as heavy and the subsoil 
as principally clay. The house and buildings are well suited 
to the occupation. There are 3 cottages, and 8 labourers 
are employed on the farm, at wages varying from 12s. to \bs. 
per week ; the labour on the whole costing about oOs. per 
acre. !Mr. Maskelyne does not use this farm as a dair^'-farm, 
finding the soil not suitable for the production of cheese of 
good quality, and the situation not advantageous for the sale 
of milk. He, however, produces from it a large quantity of 
beef, mutton, ami pork, buying all his stock in young, and 
selling them out when fit for the butcher. As his land is not 
naturally rich, he spends a very large sum for oilcake and corn 
as extra food for his stock — a sum, in fact, exceeding his rent 
by at least 50 per cent. This liberal feeding is telling its tale 
upon the pasture lands, and if continued a few years longer will 
probably enable him to fatten his stock without so great an 
outlay for purchased foods. 
The arable land is exceedingly clean and well managed, and 
the crops on it were most luxuriant, affording ample evidence of 
very high farming. Some of the pasture land has been drained, 
and the good results consequent thereon should induce the pro- 
prietor of the estate to complete the drainage of the farm. 
Some of the land had been very recently drained by the tenant, 
the landlord finding the tiles. This is, at the best, a make- 
shift mode of carrying out drainage works in the majority of 
cases, the work not being properly done. 
Mr. Maskelyne employs 6 horses to do the work of his farm, 
and has also 2 nags, 1 cart-colt, and 2 yearling nag colts. In May 
he was grazing 32 two-year-old steers and heifers, 47 yearlings, 
25 calves, and was keeping 6 dairy cows. Considerable judg- 
ment had been shown in the purchase of these, and they were a 
good, useful lot of animals, well done, and in thriving condition. 
He was also at the same time grazing 72 tegs, 22 two-year- 
old wethers, 50 ewes, 76 lambs, and 3 rams. His lambs are made 
into mutton very early in the spring of each year on roots' on 
the arable land, being sold under one year old. When we were 
there in January last there were only about half-a-dozen left ; 
these were very good, and were in fact sold to the butcher. 
Store pigs are bought in every year to consume the offal of 
the farm, and are then fatted, adding considerably to the gross 
returns from the farm. 
The accounts are well kept, and the balances properly shown. 
At the date of our third visit we found Mr. Maskelyne very, 
busy securing his hay-crop, which was good and well managed. 
The lambs were weaned, and a capital lot they were, doing 
