556 
The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition , 1883. 
farmed  1300  acres,  and  who  selected  100  acres  of  his  best  land 
and  had  it  all  hand-dug. 
Manor  House  comprises  249  acres,  145  of  which  are  arable, 
and  the  remaining  104  acres  permanent  grass.  It  is  held  under 
a yearly  tenancy,  without  any  agreement  for  compensation  for 
improvements,  and  subject  to  six  months’  notice  to  quit.  The 
present  tenant  succeeded  his  father  in  1865. 
The  surface  is  slightly  undulating.  The  larger  portion  of  the 
farm  is  a gravelly  soil,  but  the  higher  part  is  a strongish  boulder 
clay-loam,  requiring  careful  treatment  for  root-growing. 
The  Judges,  as  I have  already  stated,  were  surprised  to  find 
so  many  permanent  improvements  executed  by  many  of  the 
occupiers  of  competing  farms  without  any  security,  but  here 
they  were  more  than  surprised. 
The  ground-plan  (Fig.  5,  p.  557)  will  give  a good  general 
idea  of  the  size  and  arrangement  of  the  homestead.  The 
stables  and  boxes,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  have  been  only  recently  built, 
and  are  completely  furnished  with  Musgrave’s  best  fittings. 
No.  21,  in  the  centre  of  the  main  block,  was  formerly  an  open 
yard,  but  was  covered  in  last  summer  with  substantial  open 
slated  roofs.  The  yard  is  a trapezium,  measuring  76  feet  X 40, 
and  66  feet  X 49  feet.  The  roofs  are  supported  by  two  pillars 
in  the  centre,  with  short  brick  pillars  built  on  the  surrounding 
walls,  and  are  surmounted  by  overlapping  ventilators.  The  total 
cost  was  175/.  The  sheep-houses,  No.  31,  are  substantial  stone 
structures,  also  comparatively  new,  as  is  also  the  horse-shed, 
No.  33.  The  paddock  in  which  this  shed  stands  has  been  sur- 
rounded by  a stone  and  lime  wall.  At  the  January  inspection 
we  noticed  No.  46  as  a newly  erected  galvanised-iron  stack- 
shed.  The  open  sides  did  not  please  Mr.  Hutchinson,  and  on 
our  next  inspection  we  found  this  enlarged,  by  side-walls  being 
run  up  6 feet  outside  the  metal  pillars,  and  the  eaves  extended 
to  rest  on  these  walls  ; it  was  thus  wholly  closed  in.  Large 
sliding  doors,  to  admit  laden  carts,  are  placed  in  the  centre  of 
each  side.  On  our  July  visit  it  was  full  of  implements,  but  it 
can  now  be  used  as  a sheep  or  cattle  house,  will  also  make  a 
capital  lambing-shed,  or,  as  was  originally  intended,  a stack- 
shed  or  hay-house.  Besides  considerable  improvements  to  the 
old  Manor  House,  the  whole  of  the  foregoing  buildings,  with 
many  additions  and  re-arrangements  to  the  other  portion  of  the 
homestead,  have  been  executed  solely  at  the  expense  of  the 
present  occupier,  who,  having  no  security  beyond  six  months’ 
notice  to  quit,  may  well  be  likened  to  one  of  his  own  hunters 
when  following  the  hounds,  taking  the  bit  in  his  teeth  and 
running  straight  away,  but  landing  his  owner  to  get  the  brush. 
The  barn-power  was  originally  a six-horse  wheel ; this  is  still 
