Prize Competition, 1885. 
137 
The farm is 342 acres, mostly grass, on the level beside the 
River Dee ; some of it is liable to be flooded. The pasture 
land is 289 acres in all, and there are 55 acres arable — chiefly 
a light soil — on a higher level, some of it liable to burn. The 
rent of this farm is 800Z. ; tithes, 57Z. ; poor's rate, 55/. ; road 
rate, 21/. ; in all 933/., or 54s. 6f/. per acre. Much of the grass 
land has been laid down by the tenant ; and the cattle, he tells 
us, prefer the new to the old grass. The dairy herd is of very 
admirable quality, containing many first-rate cows, all of them 
of a Shorthorn character. Some 30 heifer-calves are reared 
annually, and there are generally a dozen cattle fattened. About 
150 fat pigs and porkers are sold annually. Last year's sales 
included: — 20 feeding cattle, 310/.; 10 two-year-old heifers, 
120/.; 14 cows, 186/.; 70 calves, 130/.; 150 fat pigs and 
porkers, 416/. ; and 2 horses, 3 and 4 years old, 90/. The 
cheese, 22^ tons, at 70s., realised 1575/. ; and the butter, 
3010 lbs., at Is., 150/. 10s. 
No milk is sold. The proceeds of the dairy, including 
cheese, butter, pigs, and calves, amount to 2271/. 10s., or more 
than 22/. per cow ; the other sales, draught cows, fed beasts, 
and horses, amount to 700/. 
The labour of the farm is done by 3 horses ; and there are 
3 colts, 2 nags, and a pony besides. No fewer than 6 men 
and boys are boarded in the house. There are also 2 girls ; 
and the son and daughter who help. The money payment 
for wages comes to only 163/., but board added would probably 
amount to 300/. in all, the labour of the family not included. 
This is far lower than on any other farm which we inspected, 
and of course it is explained largely by the quantity of assist- 
ance given by the members of Mr. Fearnall's family ; though 
the proportion of arable land also, it must be remembered, is 
smaller. The purchases of food during the year included 210/. 
worth of meal, linseed- and cotton-cakes, and 155/. in India 
meal ; also the whole of the barley and oats grown upon the 
land, viz. 350 measures of 70 lbs. each of the former, and 1000 
measures of 46 lbs. each of the latter ; and there were also 300 
measures of beans of 80 lbs., all ground up and used upon the 
farm, in the shippons, feeding-stalls, calf-boxes, and pigstyes. 
Walking over the fields in July, we saw a very fine mixed 
crop of barley and oats, a good oat crop, very heavy crops of clover 
and grass, partly won and partly being mown. The turnip field 
was disappointing — turnips late, resown, owing to the fly. There 
was also a field of wheat of fair promise. Potatoes are not grown, 
except for the use of the household. The grass-land was all 
well grazed, both the night and the day pastures being well 
watered ; and there is an orchard paddock in which breeding 
