312 Rej)ort on the Farm-Prize Competition, 1871. 
Oats. — Oats are mostly sown upon tlie portion of two-vears- 
old ley which is on the strongest land. The ley is ploughed in 
the months of January or February, and allowed to lie in this 
state till the middle of March, when half the quantity of seed per 
acre (2|^ bushels) is sown broadcast and upon the furrow. This 
is well harrowed in, and the remainder of the seed is afterwards 
drilled crossways, the harrow going after the drill to com- 
plete the work. Poland oats are the variety sown. We were 
curious to see the result of what was to us quite a novel system, 
and we found the appearance of the crops most satisfactory, being 
more promising than any we had previously seen. Mr. Winterton 
justifies his practice on the ground that the seed is more evenly 
distributed in the land and more completely covered, by which 
means the moisture, so beneficial to the growth of the oat-crop, 
is retained in the soil. We thought possibly there might be 
some advantage in this ; at all events the oats growing under this 
peculiar system were very good. If the whole 5 bushels of seed 
per acre had been sown by hand upon the furrow, Mr. Winterton 
said it could never be properly covered ; but he depended upon 
the coulters of the drill assisting in the deposit, and if practice 
justifies such an amount of seed being used, there can be no 
doubt that some plan of the sort is required to insure the same 
being properly covered. 
Clover-seeds. — Seeds are sown amongst barley and wheat grow- 
ing after turnips or mangolds. The land is generally rolled by a 
Cambridge roller and the seeds sown by hand. The mixture is 
red clover 3 lbs., cowgrass 3 lbs., alsike 2 lbs., white clover 3 lbs., 
plantain 2 lbs., trefoil 3 lbs., parsley 1 lb. ; altogether 17 lbs., with 
1 peck of Pacey's rye-grass to the acre. A small portion of 5 
acres is mown for cart-horses, and the remainder depastured. 
Sixty-five acres is the usual extent grown ; but on account of the 
failure of the seeds in 1870, this year there is less than usual, 
and in their place the land is growing vetches and beans, both of 
which are very good. The vetches are eaten off by Shropshire 
shearlings, consuming cake and corn, and afterwards the land 
will be broken up and sown with common turnips for wheat. 
Wheat. — Wheat is sown after two years' ley, and also after 
oats and turnips. This ley is upon the lighter land, which is 
manured in the month of July with farmyard-manure led direct 
from the yards, where it had been previously turned. Late in 
September it is ploughed and pressed, occasionally Cambridge- 
rolled ; the last week in October it is harrowed and drilled, com- 
mencing with 2 bushels of seed of the Essex red variety, and 
ending with 2J bushels to the acre. After oats, the land is first 
scarified and then manured with farmyard-manure, ploughed and 
pressed, and drilled with red wheat, mostly in November. That 
