608 
Report on the Farm-Prize Competition of 1886. 
not later than the 23rd of the latter month is always aimed at. 
The liberal seeding of 14 pecks per acre, is given. 
In harvesting, barley is not bound, but carried and stacked 
loose, a practice severely reprobated by one of the Judges from 
" yont the Tweed." 
This, however, is almost universally done in Norfolk, and 
is defended, not so much on the score of economy, as that is 
doubtful, but as admitting the crop to be carried two or three 
days earlier than it would be if tied up. Mr. Learner also 
contends that a brighter and more uniform sample results 
from it. 
A deterioration of sample, and also waste, must ensue from so 
much of the grain protruding on the outsides of the ricks when 
stacked loose. In Mr. Barugh Almack's Essay on " Norfolk 
Farming," 'Royal Agricultural Society's Journal,' vol. v., 
Mr. John Hudson's practice at Castle Acre, with reference to 
this, is described as " that after harvest the outsides of the ricks 
are threshed with poles to save the corn and prevent the staining 
of part of it, a cloth being placed by the rick side on which the 
threshed corn is collected." We heard of farms where this is 
yet done, but not on any of those competing for the prizes. 
Clover Seeds are sown with the barley-crop, the mixture on this 
farm being 10 lbs. of red and 2 lbs. of white clover-seed, with 
2 pecks of Italian rye-grass seed per acre. This is alternated 
every fourth year with trefoil, so that red clover comes on the 
same land only once in eight years. The clover-crop is cut 
once, occasionally twice, and the aftermath fed off with lambs 
or bullocks eating cake. 
Wheat follows seeds ; the land, being manured with 8 loads of 
farmyard-manure per acre, is ploughed, and then well rolled, to 
consolidate previous to disintegration by the harrow. When 
farmyard-manure runs short, 5 cwt. per acre of rape-cake is sub- 
stituted ; and 8 to 9 pecks of seed are drilled per acre. The 
variety chiefly grown is known in the district as "^Learner's 
Stiff Straw ; " its origin being from a single head, of remarkable 
length and strength of stem, found by an uncle of Mr. Learner's 
in a field of wheat in 1851. It is a prolific cropper, and, as its 
name indicates, stands well,, and he sells much of it yearly for 
seed. 
As evidence of the jealous care with which Mr. Learner 
guards his crops from weeds, we may instance his practice in 
connection Avith the seed-fields previous to the wheat-crop. A 
spade-graft, about 8 inches wide by 5 inches deep, is taken off 
all round the margin of those fields, effectually preventing the 
spread of couch from the hedge-banks to them, his fiat being, 
" thus far shalt thou come, but no farther." This is done in 
