Market-garden Farm Competition, 1879. 
853 
supply of the metropolis, with skilled labour at hand, give this 
district certain advantages over other localities ; but there can 
be no reason why similar advantages should not be obtained in 
the vicinity of most other cities and towns. 
The South Hall Market-garden Farm, to which the Judges 
awarded the first prize in this class, is one of a series of market- 
garden farms, amounting in all to 700 acres, situated in various 
parts of this district ol Essex, and carried on by the Trustees of 
the late Mr. J. C. Circuit, for the benefit of his orphan 
Daughters, under the most able and judicious management of 
Mr. H. Svvann. 
Some idea of the magnitude of this business will be formed 
when it is stated that two traction engines and a set of Fowler's 
tackle are kept, and 900 hands and 70 horses are employed 
during the height of the season. There are shops for wheel- 
wrights, carpenters, basket-makers, blacksmiths, and all the 
repairs are done ; and waggons, vans, carts, and implements, as 
far as possible, are made on the premises. At least 30,000/. of 
capital must be required to carry the business on. Considerable 
skill and genius are necessary to manage 700 acres of ordinary 
land successfully. It requires an exceptional amount of genius 
and energy to work profitably 700 acres of land as a huge 
market-garden farm. 
Everything was working well throughout its length and 
breadth. All was going smoothly as clockwork. No hurry ; 
no confusion ; no want of power in any direction could be 
observed. The crops were all in due season, and with singularly 
few exceptions were looking remarkably well in every part of 
each separate holding, and although the weather had been 
tlisastrously wet, the weeds had not been permitted to get the 
upper hand in any case. 
South Hall Farm was selected by the Trustees of the late 
Mr. Circuit for this competition, and the Judges therefore had 
to deal with this alone so far as their ultimate award was con- 
cerned ; but, in accordance with their instructions, they inspected 
all the other farms to satisfy themselves that the farm actually 
in competition was not deriving unfair advantage at their 
expense, and that they were not robbed in any way to benefit 
it. They were perfectly satisfied that there had not been any 
undue concentration of horse or hand labour upon South Hall, 
nor any extraordinary outlay for manure. On the contrary, it 
struck them that there were two or three of the other farms, 
especially one adjoining, that were even cleaner, and generally 
in a better condition than South Hall. 
The soil upon the upper part of this farm is a kindly clay 
loam on the London Clay, of useful quality ; it is somewhat 
