Market-garden Farm Competition, 1879. 
859 
the plants taken up and sold in October. The crop previous to 
the cabbage-plants was carrots, cleared off by July for bunching, 
whose return was between 55/. and 65Z. per acre. French Shaw 
potatoes were doing remarkably well upon 3 acres, No. 8. 
Osiers for bunching-twigs were growing on part ol No. 9, 
which is 11 acres, and wheat upon the remaining portion. The 
land here lies so low that it had been under water from the 
heavy rains several times during the spring, so that the wheat 
plants were not in first-rate plight. Two-bladed onion-seed 
was growing and flourishing exceedingly upon 4^ acres, 
No. 10. Before this crop mangels had been taken which had 
yielded 60 tons per acre, and were sold at IZ. per ton, and 
had taken the first prize offered by Messrs. Carter, at the 
Brentwood Show, in 1878. There was a pretty good piece 
of mangels upon No. 11, 5 acres. The plants were not so 
thick as they might have been, but they were strong and 
luxuriant. Before these, scarlet-runners had been grown ; the 
land was manured with 8 tons of fish refuse per acre for the 
mangel, and 6 lbs. of seed drilled in rows 18 inches apart, the 
plants being left 1 foot apart in the rows. There were no less 
than eight varieties of mangels in this field. 
Taking the crops described above generally, they were very- 
good, and promised to prove most remunerative, as from the 
appearance of many of the market-gardens and farms in the 
district, it seemed as if the weeds would prove too much for 
many fields of carrots, parsnips, and onions ; while scarlet- 
runners and French beans had, in most instances, been injured 
by the weather. 
The cost of labour upon this farm amounted to 14Z. per 
acre upon the arable land, as an average of the past. three years ; 
or a total sum of 1736/. If the cost of manure is added to 
this, as given above, at 1178/., or 9/. IQs. per acre, and the 
amount of rent, rates, and taxes, 4/. 15s. per acre, it will show a 
total sum of 28/. 5s. per acre ; besides the cost of other items 
not enumerated, such as commission, seeds, baskets, and other 
incidentals. Large though this sum of the outgoings is, it is 
not at all disproportionate to that of the incomings. The most 
elaborate accounts that are kept of the whole business, in a 
strictly commercial style of double entry, were submitted to the 
Judges, who, if it were not a breach of confidence, could a tale 
untold that would harrow up the souls of depressed farmers 
with unmitigated envy. From these accounts it was plainly 
shown that large profits had been made upon South Hall Farm, 
in common with all the other farms in the occupation of the 
Trustees of the late Mr. J. C. Circuit. 
