Report on the Dairy and Stock-Farm Competition, 1885. 121 
cases were fairly comparable : the last-named class, where the 
personal labour of the tenant was expected to be a large share 
of the whole outlay, being virtually the only exception. There 
was but one entry in Class 6, which, however, we thought deserv- 
ing of the prize : but in all the other classes the entries were 
sufficiently numerous to make the work of inspection extremely 
interesting, and the award of the prizes often difficult. In 
Class 7, where the entries were not so perfectly comparable with 
each other as in the other cases, one at least was a market- 
garden almost exclusively, but the other two were small farms 
cultivated very much as in the other classes for stock and dairy 
produce as well as for the corn and potato produce of the arable 
land. In all the other classes the tenants were distinctly tenant 
farmers, and a very admirable body of farm tenantry they are ; 
men of whom any estate anywhere might be proud. Nor were 
the farms in each class by itself so widely scattered, or placed 
under such varying circumstances, that a fair comparison was 
hard to make. The largest class of all — dairy farms over 100 
acres — were, with two exceptions, within a day's ride of each 
other ; and generally there was no such difference of either soil or 
climate in the examples submitted under every separate class as 
to make any of them specially exceptional. The three stock- 
breeding farms in Class 5 lie all in North Lancashire — one on 
the low level of the Fylde, another on the rolling country below 
the hills near Lancaster, the third beyond Barrow, extending 
from the upland moor on the south-eastern side of the bay to 
almost the level of the tide. The dairy farms between 30 and 
100 acres are several of them near Preston, others in Cheshire ; 
the large class of dairy farms over 100 acres are nearly all in 
Cheshire or closely adjoining : and in no case was there any 
difficulty in making our award, except that which arises from 
equality of merit. 
After this statement at once of the problem submitted to the 
Judges, and of the pains they took in the solution of it, it may 
be convenient to give their awards as follows : — 
In Class 3 — Dairy Farms of 100 acres and upwards, where the management 
is directed to the iDroduction of milk, butter or cheese — there are seven entries, 
the majority of which, lying in a district where farm competitions have long 
been annually instituted, are worthy of high commendation, several of them 
being of nearly equal merit. The Judges award the first prize to Mr. John 
Lea, of Stapleford Hall, Tarvin, and the second prize to Mr. Thomas Parton, 
of Chorlton, Nantwich. They highly commend Mr. Thomas Fearnall, of 
Royton, near Wrexham ; Mr. Cyrus Lea, of Duddon Hall, Tarporley ; and 
Mr. Joseph Robinson, of Lee Green Hall, Middlewich. They award the 
reserve number in this class to Mr. Thomas Fearnall, for the general dairy 
management of his farm, and esjiecially for the uniform excellence of the 
cheese and butter made on it. They very highly commend him for the 
example (of the highest professional value) which is liere presented of a large 
