The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition,  1883. 
547 
lying  to  the  south  of  the  turnpike-road — about  60  acres — is  a rich 
loam,  and  is  excellent  feeding-ground.  The  higher  lowlands, 
of  which  about  54  acres  are  in  meadow,  are  not  quite  so  good  ; 
but  the  latter,  with  manuring,  grow  good  crops  of  hay,  and  the 
pastures,  if  they  do  not  quite  finish  off  the  feeding-cattle,  leave 
only  the  polishing  to  be  done  in  the  canal  pastures.  The 
“ crag  ” of  80  acres,  which  stretches  along  the  whole  of  the 
north  side  of  the  farm,  rises  rather  steeply,  and,  as  its  name 
indicates,  is  interspersed  with  jutting  crags.  This  is  again 
surmounted  by  a range  of  crags,  which,  though  not  belonging  to 
the  farm,  afford  shelter  from  the  north  winds  to  the  otherwise 
exposed  pasturage.  During  the  winter  months  no  stock  is  kept 
on  this  highest  land  ; the  cattle  are  occasionally  grazed  on  it 
in  summer,  to  relieve  the  other  pastures,  but  its  chief  stocking 
is  blackfaced  ewes.  The  description  of  the  farm  may  be  given 
under  the  seven  heads  which  the  Judges  were  instructed  especially 
to  consider. 
1st.  General  Management  with  a view  to  Profit. — Only  under 
good  management  could  this  place  possibly  take  rank  as  a prize- 
farm.  It  is  obvious  that  the  profits  depend  entirely  on  the 
stock  ; therefore,  very  much  on  how  the  stock  is  managed  ; and 
in  this  department  Mr.  Davis  excels. 
The  stock  is  varied  to  suit  the  gradations  in  quality  of  the 
pastures.  The  best  cattle  and  earliest  lambs  are  turned  on  to  the 
canal  pastures,  as  soon  as  they  afford  a good  bite  of  grass,  and 
are  pushed  with  cake,  to  get  them  finished  and  off  to  market. 
Cake  is  not  given  to  the  cattle  in  troughs,  but  simply  laid  in 
small  heaps  on  the  pastures. 
The  first  cut  of  lambs  had  been  sold  the  last  week  in  June 
for  42s.  a head  ; the  mothers  were  turned  out  on  to  the  crag,  and 
the  next  best  ewes  and  lambs  then  drawn  in  from  the  adjoining 
pastures.  Only  two  cattle  had  been  sold,  but  these  were  managed 
in  a similar  way.  As  the  fat  animals  are  cleared  out,  the  next 
best  are  drawn  in.  Sheep  and  cattle  are  grazed  together  in  all 
the  feeding  pastures. 
The  cattle  are  tied  up  in  the  hay-barns,  as  I said  before,  lying 
on  the  bare  stones,  with  not  even  a manger  to  eat  from  ; their  food 
is  simply  hay  and  water,  with  a small  allowance  of  cake  to  those 
most  forward.  These  were,  on  our  visit,  on  the  30th  of  April, 
full  of  flesh,  and  in  excellent  condition  for  turning  out  to  grass : 
11  cross-bred  heifers,  costing  16Z.  each,  were  already  lying  out. 
The  quantity  of  hay  grown  enables  a large  proportion  of  the 
cattle  that  are  to  be  fattened  in  summer  to  be  bought  in  the 
preceding  autumn,  and  wintered  on  the  farm.  This  the  Judges 
considered  better  management  than  having  so  many  cattle  to  buy 
in  spring,  when  suitable  stock  is  generally  difficult  to  obtain. 
