572 Report on the Farm-Prize Competition of 1886. 
stood still ; tliey reposed upon their laurels. About that period a second 
revolution was working; they seemed then to awaken to new ideas; an 
experimental spirit began to spread, much owing, it is said, to the introduc- 
tion of drilling, and so a new practice set men to thinking, it is not unlikely ; 
nothing can be done until men think, and they had not thought for thirty 
years preceding. About that time also, Mr. Coke (who has done more for 
the husbandry of this county than any man since the turnip Lord Townshend) 
began his Sheep-Shearing Meetings. These causes combined to raise a spirit 
which has not subsided." 
The improvement which he refers to in the north-western part 
of the county was the application of marl and clay to the light 
sand and gravel soils, which effected the conversion of warrens 
and sheep-walks into some of the finest corn districts in the 
kingdom. From 40 to 180 loads per acre was applied, the 
average cost being about 50^. per acre. 
This was also extensively done at Holkham, by Mr. Coke, 
in the improvements of his estates there — a lucid account of 
which will be found in vol. iii. of the First Series of this 
'Journal.' 
Young also mentions " that Mr. Coke spent 100,000/. in 
farm-houses and offices," but he finishes his description of the 
buildings as follows. " I wish I had it in my power to add 
that I saw a good farmyard in the county, manifesting contri- 
vance, and in which no building could be moved to any other 
* Scite,' without doing mischief. Where is such to be found ? " 
I fear the responses /lei-e, would not take much counting if the 
same question were to be asked at the present day. 
Since Young reported, I am inclined to think that, taking 
the county generally, it has pretty well held its own. In arable 
cultivation the excellent crops of roots and corn produced on 
soils naturally inferior is something remarkable, which pro- 
bably in a great measure results from the large quantity of 
linseed- and cotton-cakes which are so generally used. A cake 
of 8 lbs. per day is in most counties considered a liberal allow- 
ance to a fatting bullock ; but on several of the farms we went 
over such is considered a minimum quantity, and from that to 
14 lbs. is not unusual. Sheep get 1 lb. each per day. 
In the matter of liv^e-stock, too, there has been a very marked 
advance. Young says of the breed of his day : " Cattle in 
Norfolk do not offer much that is interesting ; they have a 
breed of their own, which possesses no qualities sufficient to 
make it an object of particular attention. I viewed a dairy at 
Milcham, the only one left in that country of the true old 
Norfolk breed of cows. Middle horned, some rather shorter ; 
colour red, some not unlike the Devon ; as loose and ill-made 
as bad Suffolks." 
Singularly cnorgh, we find the same colour prevalent in the 
