100 
Report on the Farm Prize Competition 
house, and fattens two pigs. He breeds no cattle, finding it 
more profitable to purchase those he requires for eating his tur- 
nips and rotting down straw to supply manure for the farm. 
The gates and fences were all in pretty good order. We con- 
sidered VVhitestone Farm to be in a creditable condition, the 
pasture fields, which may be invariably taken as one of the 
best tests, being particularly well laid down and showing capital 
cultivation. Mr. Farghar holds his farm under a system of three 
years' tenure. 
The other farm competing in this class is called Balladoole, 
the property of William Baring Stevenson, Esq., of Balladoole, 
Castletown. It is farmed by Mr. Thomas Fisher. It lies one mile 
to the west of Castletown. The extent is 189 acres. The soil 
varies from heavy clay to light gravelly land, all upon the 
limestone formation. The tenancy is from year to year. When 
we inspected this farm, we found it under crop as follows : — 
Wheat, 39 acres, 10 after grass, 10 after potatoes, 8 after 
beans, 5 after mangolds, 6 after turnips. 
Barley, 32 acres, 19 acres after wheat, 13 after turnips. 
Oats, 9 acres, after wheat. Beans, 6 acres. 
Potatoes, 10 acres. Pasture under rotation, 34 acres. 
Swedes, 19 acres. Hay, 7 acres. 
Greystone, 3 acres. Pasture, 6 years old, 19 acres. 
Mangolds, 4 acres. Pasture, 11 years old, 5 acres. 
The wheat crop on this farm varied much in appearance. 
Some portions were exceedingly good ; others, again, were not 
very good. The variety of the soil was one of the causes of this 
difference, another being the effect of the preceding crops. The 
barley crop promised, on the whole, to be a good average one. 
Potatoes looked healthy and vigorous, and there was a fine pro- 
mise of the turnip crop, the young plants being strong and 
regular all over the breadth sown ; but both potatoes and turni]>s 
were suffering from the hoeing and singling being behind, 
which was not to be wondered at in consequence of the nature 
of the season, a rapid vegetation of weeds, and a scarcity of 
labour to overcome these difficulties. 
Stock. — Mr. Fisher keeps 11 cows, 1 bull (Shorthorn), 10 
calves, G yearlings, 5 two-year-olds, 6 three-year-olds. Four 
had been sold at prices varying from 22?. to 31/. There were 
42 ewes, — one-half Shropshire, the other half Leicester. The 
Iambs are all kept over the winter and fed off' as shearlings. 
Mr. Fisher finds he can get the highest price for the Shrop- 
shires as mutton. He was very unfortunate with his lambs last 
season, having lost forty by worms in the lungs. 
