98 
Report on the Farm Prize Competition 
be no l)etter confirmation of the mildness of the climate than 
the proof afforded by the beauty and luxuriance of some delicate 
varieties of shrubs, and whole hedgerows of fuchsias of large 
size may be seen in great perfection. 
I pass over the very early history of the island. It is a spot 
singularly rich in legendary lore. For 400 years it was the home 
of the Druids, and many of their stone circles are still to be 
seen. There are also numbers of stone crosses similar to those 
in Ireland, bearing Runic inscriptions, which testify to the con- 
quests of Christianity under the banner of St. Patrick. It was 
successively the property of Norwegian, Scottish, and English 
princes, forming a dependent sovereignty in the great feudal 
system. For three centuries under the sway of the Earls of 
Derby, it passed to the Dukes of Athol, and finally into the 
bands of the Crown, who purchased all their rights and privi- 
leges from the Athol family so lately as 1829 for 416,000/. 
I mention this sum to show what changes a few years make, 
the lead mines of Laxey alone having paid to the Crown in 
thirteen years upwards of 80,000Z. in royalty, or about one-sixth 
•of the whole purchase money of the island. 
Competing Farms. 
I now come to describe the competing farms in Class 7. 
Both are near Castletown, where the Judges arrived on the 
evening of the 25th of June, after rather a stormy passage from 
Liverpool to Douglas, proceeding on per rail to Castletown. 
We inspected both farms next day. Our instructions in regard 
to awarding the prizes were similar to those for the Liverpool 
district, viz., to consider : — 
1. General management with a view tb profit. 
2. Productiveness of crops. 
3. Goodness and suitability of live-stock. 
4. Management of grass-land. 
5. State of gates, fences, roads, and general neatness. 
The farm described first, and which we considered, on the 
whole, most deserving of the prize, is in the occupation of Mr. 
Thomas Farghar. It is called Whitestone Farm, and lies about 
a mile from Castletown. The proprietor is W. L. Drinkwater, 
Esq., Kirby-by-Douglas. The soil may be described as light. 
The subsoil Mr. Farghar, in his schedule, mentions as being 
shingle — a light gravelly debris of the limestone formation. 
The farm comprises about 122 acres imperial. 
The rotation adopted by Mr. Farghar appeared to be most 
suitable for the soil, viz., pasture which lies generally for three 
