Report on the Farm-Prize Competition, 1871. 325 
The buildings are very primitive, and need alteration. A 
4-liorsc-po\ver engine is used for cutting straw, pulping roots, and 
grinding the corn. 
Mr. May's farming is deserving of high commendation, as by 
an economical system of management he produces good crops, 
and the land is in a very clean, fertile condition, great attention 
being paid to the management of live stock. 
Mr. Charles Reynolds Keeling's Farm, near Penkridge, con- 
taining about 360 acres, we also highly commended, for its 
cleanliness, as well as for the good crops growing. Owing to the 
natural infertility of the soil and its porous nature, the crops 
are dependent upon a constant supply of artificial manure, and 
especially for securing a good root-crop, which the system adopted 
by Mr. Keeling is likely to produce. The present appearance 
of the roots is remarkably promising, and the amount of sheep 
stock carried upon the farm, and most liberally fed with artificial 
food, is the main source of Mr. Keeling's successful cultivation. 
This farm has been so ably and thoroughly described by Mr. 
Evershed, in the ' Royal Agricultural Society's Journal ' for 1869, 
that it is needless for us to repeat the description. We can only 
add that the artificial food and manures purchased last year 
amounted to 794/. 45. lOd., bearing out our opinion that such 
crops upon so inferior a soil can only be obtained by artificial 
means, and that success is dependent upon, and may be measured 
by the liberality or illiberality of the tenant. The present crops 
fully testify to the former characteristic of Mr. Keeling. 
First-Prize Dairy Farm. 
This farm is held under yearly tenure, and is occupied by Mr. 
John Clay, Kinsale, Oswestr}', Salop. It contains 200 acres 
of grass, and 128 of arable land, is situated four miles east of 
Oswestry, midway between it and Ellesmere, and is intersected by 
the road leading to Oswestry. It has great convenience by road 
and canal, the latter, the " Shropshire Union," running through 
it, and boats can unload lime and manure into the fields adjoining. 
The land is undulating, soil a strong loam, various, with a 
subsoil of clay, gravel, and sand. By the canal are some meadows 
that had a very rough uneven surface, and soil of a peaty nature ; 
those have been greatly improved, by deep draining, and a great 
expense has been incurred by the tenant in filling up and 
levelling, which is a marked improvement. 
On the north side of the farm, several small fields have been 
laid down to pasturage, which were very poor and unproductive 
as arable. Their fences to the extent of 700 roods (of 8 yards) have 
been grubbed and cleared away by Mr. Clay. The whole has been 
