320 
Report on the Farm-Prize Competition, 1871. 
This farm contains 230 acres of arable land and 131 of <j;rass, 
and is situated about 2^ miles north of Wellington, the high 
road from Drayton passing through it, and the road from Wel- 
lington to Shrewsbury bounding it on the south. About 50 
acres are at a distance of one mile ; this land is of a peaty, boggy 
nature ; half of it is grass, and the remainder arable. The main 
portion of the farm connected with the homestead is various in 
texture, some being a mixed loam, and another portion weaker, 
inclining to sand ; the subsoil of the whole is a variety of gravel, 
the upper surface varying greatly in depth. The four-course 
system is generally adopted. The foldyard manure is applied 
for roots in the autumn, led direct from the yards upon the land, 
at the rate of 20 cart-loads to the acre. These stubbles having 
been previously well cultivated, the manure is ploughed in for 
the winter. In the spring, when sufficiently worked, 5 cwts. per 
acre of Grifhn and Morris's artificial manures are sown broad- 
cast ; the land is then ridged, and the seed drilled. For white 
turnips a smaller quantity of artificial manure is used, and they 
are drilled on the flat. Half of the turnips are consumed on 
the land, the remainder being carted to the homestead. The 
land appropriated for mangolds is autumn cultivated, ploughed 
8 inches deep for the winter, and worked well in the spring. 
When sufficiently fine the land is ridged, and manure applied at 
the rate of 20 cart-loads per acre. It is then split, rolled, and 
drilled. The whole crop is led off and stored by the home- 
stead. A large portion of the turnip land is followed by spring 
wheat, a plan which appears to answer well ; the clover ley is also 
followed by wheat, a somewhat unusual practice being adopted. 
Rye-grass being a large ingredient in the seeds, autumn sown 
wheat is liable to turn out, therefore the ley is untouched till 
February, affording valuable pasturage for sheep during the 
winter ; and they are also fed on cake and corn. The land is 
consequently merely ploughed, harrowed, and drilled with wheat 
of a white variety. The whole of the wheat, after both turnips 
and ley, was remarkably good, and most promising. Although 
not a dairy farm, a good return is made from a dairy of 20 
common-bred cows, both cheese and butter being made. The 
calves are all reared. The produce of one cow's evening meal 
of milk we saw weighed, with the extraordinary result of 40 lbs. 
Mrs. Sankey wrote and informed us that the same cow's milk 
the following morning weighed 38 lbs. 
During the winter the cows have pulped roots and chopped 
straw, with 2 lbs. of cake, given until February ; this is increased 
up to calving, and continued until grass. At the date of our first 
visit 35 calves of various ages were being fed in a sheltered 
yard with mown vetches and porridge. Twenty yearlings and 
