The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition,  1883. 
573 
though  a fine  feature  in  the  landscape,  always  appear  to  a 
farmer’s  eye  to  be  out  of  place  in  a tillage  field. 
The  homestead  is  well  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  farm. 
The  old  thatched  farm-house  is  a relic  of  a bygone  age.  Had 
the  farming  not  kept  better  abreast  of  the  times  than  the  house 
and  buildings  have  done,  there  would  have  been  little  to 
commend.  Stones  were,  however,  being  laid  down  for  a new 
house,  which  is,  no  doubt,  by  this  time  being  built. 
Cropping. — This  is  literally  a corn-farm.  About  140  acres, 
or  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  arable  land,  is  annually  in  grain-crop. 
No  regular  course  of  cropping  is  prescribed  or  pursued.  Part 
of  the  clover-leas  are  sown  with  wheat,  and  the  remainder  with 
oats.  One  field  of  wheat  was  a thin  plant ; several  acres  were 
not  good  enough  to  stand,  and  were  scarified  down  and  sown 
with  oats.  A field  of  w heat  after  oats,  dressed  with  soot,  at  a 
cost  of  20s.  per  acre,  was  a really  good  crop. 
Barley  generally  succeeds  wheat.  One  field,  dressed  with 
2 cwt.  of  guano  per  acre  immediately  after  the  drill,  looked 
especially  promising.  Another  field,  grown  on  wheat-stubble, 
had  no  dressing,  and  was  carrying  a good  level  crop,  which 
says  much  for  the  natural  fertility  of  the  land.  The  best 
samples  of  barley  are  obtained  as  a second  white  crop.  After 
turnips  the  crop  is  often  too  gross.  Barley  and  oats  were 
capital  crops  all  round.  One  field  of  black  oats  after  seeds 
grazed,  looked  like  yielding  10  quarters  per  acre. 
The  following  is  the  acreage  of  the  several  crops  grown  in 
1882  and  1883:— 
1882. 
1883. 
Wheat  
Acres. 
50 
Acres. 
49 
Barley  
44 
55 
Oats  
42 
37 
Beans  
(i 
Turnips 
52 
56 
Seeds  
32 
28 
It  will  be  seen  that  potatoes  are  not  enumerated ; only 
10  drills  were  grown  this  year,  and  they  are  not  good. 
Seeds  are  always  grazed  with  sheep  eating  cake,  and  this  year 
they  were  grand  pastures ; they  only  stand  one  year. 
Swede  turnips  were  sown  on  the  flat  in  1882,  and,  owing  to 
the  wet  season,  they  were  very  difficult  to  clean.  This  year 
they  were  ridged,  and  the  ridges  losing  their  moisture  in  the  dry 
weather,  the  seed  did  not  vegetate  until  the  rain  came,  thus 
showing  how  varying  seasons  may  upset  the  best  systems. 
