The Farm Prize Competition o/1890. 
821 
:abbage9 and potatoes, which are both to be sold off, cover 
£ acre in all. 
The land generally is very clean, and in capital condition. 
Mr. Bath buys about lol. worth of artificial manures yearly, and 
consumes most of his own corn. He has a great liking for 
compost heaps, and in January last had as many as seven ready 
to go on to a like number of fields. They are composed of soil 
dug from the foot of the fences, road-scrapings, and dung. 
A small herd of cows (half-bred C4uernsey and Shorthorn, and 
excellent milkers) is kept, and their produce reared. Other 
cows, and heifers, and a bull or two to keep them company, are 
bought in the spring and fed off. Some go early in the 
autumn without cake. Others are kept till Christmas and 
get an allowance of meal, &c. In January the total head 
numbered 36. Of these, seven cows, one steer, and two bulls, had 
gone to the butcher before June, and their place was supplied 
by 10 cows (Irish), and one bull bought in May last. Mr. 
Bath selects his feeding animals to suit the local markets, where 
the prices for the different qualities of meat rule much more 
evenly than those offered by the generality of butchers else- 
where. Last Christmas his fat bulla and cows made 6-is. per 
cwt., whilst for the best of heifers he could realise only a trifle 
above Id. per lb. The demand for the best qualities is not 
equal to that for the coarser ones. 
From 25 to 30 ewes are bought each autumn, and put to a 
Shropshire ram. The ewes were good big sheep, and 27 of them 
produced 37 lambs. The latter were the most forward seen on 
any of the farms, except Mr. Franklin's. Indeed, four had gone 
at Easter at 40s. apiece. Last year the prices ranged from 35s. 
to 50s. each between May and July. The 21 ewes that had been 
bought for 1889 went out, with their produce, for 74Z. over prime 
cost. Five pigs are kept, but Mr. Bath does not care about them, 
because the miners keep one apiece. Some poultry are kept, 
and young chickens are bought, reared, and fed. Five horses 
do the work of the farm, and in addition help to augment the 
profits by carting tin, &c. for the neighbouring mines. A3 
much as 200/. per annum has thus been added to the credit side 
of the farm account. 
Much attention is paid to dairy produce. Mr. Bath was 
himself at one time a butter-maker and has competed at local 
Shows. But Mrs. Bath now does the work, and under his 
tuition has become so good a hand at it that this year she won 
two first prizes and a very high commendation in local contests. 
Mr. Bath is a lover of neatness. His implements and tools 
are stored away, each in its proper place. His gateways 
