Farmiwj in Devon ami GgrmoaU. 
513 
disadvantages, and Las, as it were, created so many oases in a 
veritable desert. It would perhaps be unkind or impolitic to 
inquire whether the returns in these cases bear any reasonable 
proportion to the outlay, but the pluck and enterprise displayed 
in them deserve a better reward than appearances suggest, or have 
too rarely been found to arise from a corresponding outlay on 
more responsive land. 
Beyond this effort to prevent visitors to the recent Plymouth 
Show carrying away impressions that Devonshire land and 
Devonshire farming is either all good or all bad, according to 
their vision of it en route, the writer does not purpose attempting 
any description of the physical or geological features of the 
two counties. Time and space at command will not allow of it, 
to say nothing of the impossibility of a comparative stranger 
forming any adequate idea of the varied features of so extensive 
a district from a mere cursory and superficial inspection, incident 
to the assessment of the relative merits of 17 farms, entered for 
competition for the prizes offered by the Plymouth Local 
Committee, in connection with the Royal Meeting of 1890. 1 
Besides, are not those features already very ably described in 
the Prize Essays on the farming of the two counties which 
appeared in Vols. VI. and IX. of the First Series of the Society's 
Journal ? Preference will therefore be given to pointing out 
the changes which have taken place in the practice of agriculture 
in the two counties since those reports were written, and to 
describing the special features of the systems at present in 
vogue. 
Agriculture Past axd Present. 
Mr. Henry Tanner in his Prize Essay in 1848, published in 
Vol. IX. of the Journal, was especially severe upon the manage- 
ment then followed in Devonshire. He described the course of 
husbandry pursued as " in many particulars very defective." 
The rotation called the Old Devon Course, then " too much in 
general use," was represented " as scarcely showing one good 
qualification," but whilst " combining all that should be strenu- 
ously avoided " was a " complete check to agricultural improve- 
ment." " The neglect of cleanly cultivation " was the cause of 
the "produce of the county being far below what the fertility 
of the land and geniality of the climate were calculated to 
secure." " Little attention was devoted to the management 
1 The detailed particulars of the systems of farm management adopted by 
the successful and commended competitors for these Prizes must of necessity 
be reserved for future publication. — [Ed.] 
