492 Re-port upon the Liverpool Prize-Farm Competition 
cultural produce of our country ? To achieve this, more capital 
must be applied to the cultivation of the land. I am well 
assured of this fact, that many an unsuccessful farmer feels his 
difficulties arise from having more land in his occupation than 
he has capital to manage ; and even were it otherwise, on the 
principle of a Field-marshal's baton being held in view to the 
meritorious soldier of the great Napoleon, an agricultural baton, 
in the shape of a small farm, should be within the reach of an 
industrious saving farm-servant. The details of the prize-farm 
of this class, which I now come to narrate, show what wonderful 
results come from the application of large quantities of manure, 
combined with good management. The successful farm in this 
class is held in yearly tenure by Mr. Hugh Ainscough. 
Banks, the prize farm, is about 5 miles from Southport, in the 
county of Lancaster, and belongs to the Trust Estate of the 
late Charles Scarisbrick, Esq. The farm measures 37 acres, im- 
perial, of arable land, and 8 acres of pasture. It may be described 
as black soil, with moss subsoil. Mr. Ainscough farms his land 
with a three-course shift ; first, potatoes and other roots, potatoes 
bearing the proportion of 3 to 1 of the other roots ; second, 
wheat ; third, seeds. 
The crops on the farm this year were — 
9 acres wheat, and 
2 acres oats. These were grown on a piece of very inferior 
land, which had been ploughed up. 
8 acres rye-grass and clover-hay. 
2J acres mangold. 
1^ acre Swedish turnips. 
8 acres old pasture, which had lain for eight years. 
1 acre steading, &c. 
The wheat promised to be a fine crop. The oats were not 
much of a crop, owing to the wet season. The potatoes were 
wonderfully good ; the varieties were Victorias, Regents, Red- 
bogs, an early variety, and Pink-eyed Kents. The mangolds 
and swedes showed great vigour. The hay-crop was simply 
magnificent ; if not quite 4 tons per statute acre, it was at least 
70 cwt. There was not much clover to be seen, and Mr. 
Ainscough sows no perennial rye-grass, the mixture sown being 
10 lbs. red clover and 1 bushel Italian rye-grass. The whole of 
the hay-crop is used at home, and Mr. Ainscough finds he can 
grow the greatest weight per acre from Italian rye-grass. Every 
particle is chopped, and thus there is no waste. Mr. Ainscough 
purchases annually 400 tons of stable and byre manures ; and 
this, with what is made at home, gives a tremendous dose for 
his green crops. 
