The Farm Prize Competition of 1890. 
819 
older and customer to a considerable extent of the Western 
'ounties Association already referred to. 
Four or five years ago, about 30 acres of coppice wood, 
ailed Brent Wood, was cleared, and converted into strawberry 
nd fruit gardens. It was let off in plots of the proverbial 
hree acres extent, and from being worth 8s. to 10s. an acre as 
oppice is now let at 5/. to 61. an acre on ten years' leases. 
The landlord sold the coppice, but the tenants, who in some 
'ases were labourers, cleared the land, then limed it at the rate 
if 50 bushels per acre, took a crop of potatoes, and afterwards 
jlanted strawberries. The landlord has provided some fruit 
rees, and has the right to purchase any found by the tenants, 
.vho have to maintain trees and plants when once attached to 
:he soil. Twenty-five 2-horse cartloads of dung have to be 
ipplied to each plot yearly, for which there is a wharf on the 
river side about three-quarters of a mile away. The labour of 
clearing, which has been done mainly by the tenants themselves, 
and entirely at their expense, is estimated at 20/. per acre, 
and the annual weeding is put at 5/. per acre. In the first 
year of produce, as much as 300/. has been received for sales 
from some of the plots ; but out of this must be deducted 50/. 
to 70/. for cultivation, picking, and something for railway 
and land carriage. Sometimes 100, and occasionally 200, 
persons may be seen gathering fruit on this reclaimed land. 
The first crops, however, have been in excess of all succeeding 
ones. 
It may be interesting to mention as an instance of fair and 
considerate dealings between landlord and tenant, that in Mr. 
Lawry's lease are covenants for liberal compensation for bones, 
lime, and feeding stuffs, and for land brought under fruit culti- 
vation. Twenty pounds an acre is taken as the basis of com- 
pensation for this latter, extending over a graduated period of 
five years. In addition, Lord Mount Edgcumbe has allowed 
Mr. Lawry, in common with all his agricultural tenants, 10 
per cent, reduction of rent for the last four or five years. 
The writer can imagine advocates of fruit farms and small 
holdings pointing to this one as an instance of the success 
attending the schemes they advocate. But this is quite an 
exceptional case. The circumstances of the locality specially 
favour the existing usage, and Mr. Lawry himself is " one in a 
thousand/' Few are the men in his rank of life with the same 
enterprising abilities, persevering energies, and shrewd in- 
telligence, and rarer still are the occasions when such men 
confine their attention to a few acres of land. Other occupations 
provide more scope and greater profits. 
3 h 2 
