The Form Prize Competition of 1890. 
793 
winter vetches are also grown. A portion of the former crop 
was in June being made into silage in a stack in the held 
where it had grown. The only weight intended to be applied 
was the placing of new hay on the top of the stack about two 
or three days afterwards. 
The fields are much larger than common in this county of 
small inclosures, and are mostly from 15 to 20 acres each. 
Considerable lengths of o!d fences and banks have been removed 
in bygone years, and much land has thereby been added to the 
crop-growing area. Two lengths of thorn hedges have been 
planted by the present tenant, one 12 years and the other 5 
years ago, and both prove that thorns will grow well in the 
district on clay land, though Mr. Franklin doubts their doing so 
on light land. One of these lengths is about 800 yards, and 
was in substitution for a bank which was 10 feet wide through- 
out. The saving of land in this case is put at an acre. The 
thorns were planted on the flat in a single row, and received a 
little dung at planting time. They have since been carefully 
attended to, as indeed have all the fences on the farm. At the 
foot of the old banks in fields where cattle are grazed, a row of 
barbed wire on upright posts has been placed to prevent 
bullocks from crumbling the banks down with their horns, 
stones for facing being very scarce and expensive in the district. 
Four teams of horses are kept, with one extra horse for the 
shepherd, and another for odd work. Two brood mares and 
their colts, and two pony mares and their produce complete the 
horse stock, except two hacks, one of which is kept for Mrs. 
Franklin's use, and the other to take Mr. Franklin on his daily 
rounds. One of the ponies (an Exmoor) might, if shown at 
Plymouth, have saved the class from some rather uncom- 
plimentary remarks which have been passed upon it. 
Only sufficient cows are kept to supply the house. From 
80 to 90 two-year-old steers or heifers are bought annually, and 
grazed or fed off. About 50 of them are grazed on the water 
meadows and adjoining old pastures, and the remainder are 
stall-fed in the winter. Some are North Devons, others South 
Hammers, whilst a few are cross breds. Most of them are 
bought in Exeter market, one of the chief centres for agricultural 
produce of all kinds. Mr. Franklin being a regular attendant 
there, and a good judge, as also known to be at all times open 
to buy, is frequently offered small lots of animals suitable for 
his purpose. Hi3 keen and thorough judgment enables him to 
make his purchases judiciously, and to select only such animals as 
are likely to do well and pay, which, under the prevalence of 
auction marts, is rapidly becoming a lost art. The 31 steers 
