578 
The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition , 1883. 
this  description.  Six  acres  of  the  same  field  had  been  left  for 
bare  fallow,  and  was  very  foul  to  begin  with.  The  oat-stubble 
was  skim-ploughed  and  well  harrowed  in  the  autumn.  The 
whole  of  the  fallows  were  in  good  order  at  the  July  inspection, 
and  reflected  great  credit  on  their  management. 
A field  of  14  acres  of  the  poorest  clay,  which  lies  near  to  the 
house,  had  been  sown  down  to  permanent  pasture  about  two 
years  ago.  The  landlord  found  the  seeds,  and  also  paid  for  one- 
half  of  the  dressings  of  bone-dust ; the  herbage  is  not  thick,  and 
will  require  generous  treatment  to  make  a good  sward,  but  it 
is  a great  improvement  on  bare  fallow.  A meadow  field  which 
lies  nearest  to  Escrick  was  half  cut  at  our  visit  in  July,  and  on 
it  was  the  largest  crop  of  grass  we  had  seen,  although  the  hay 
was  perhaps  not  of  the  best  quality.  Half  a ton  of  soot  had 
been  sown  on  an  acre  in  the  centre  of  the  field,  and  had  told 
with  marked  effect  on  the  crop.  The  remainder  of  the  field 
had  been  dressed  with  2 tons  of  dissolved  bones.  Excepting 
a little  patch  of  useful  grass  near  the  house,  the  remaining  27 
acres  of  pasture  is  poor  clay.  A field  of  this  rough  pasture  had 
been  dressed  with  4 cwt.  of  dissolved  bones  to  the  acre  ; half 
of  it  was  done  in  1880  and  the  remainder  last  year,  with  a ridge 
left  between  undressed.  This  ridge  was  distinctly  noticeable ; 
the  herbage  was  much  coarser,  and  left  uneaten  by  the  stock. 
Eight  dairy  cows  were  in  the  byre  in  January  ; these  were 
getting  daily  half  of  a linseed-cake  and  a mash  of  oatmeal 
mixed  with  cold  water,  in  addition  to  turnips  and  hay,  and 
looked  as  if  they  throve  on  their  diet.  Some  of  them  were 
being  fattened  off,  and  were  in  the  meantime  a source  of 
revenue,  being  milked  and  fattened  at  the  same  time. 
About  120/.  had  been  received  for  stock  sold  between  our 
April  and  July  visits.  From  10  to  12  calves  are  annually 
reared.  Fourteen  young  cattle,  from  6 to  18  months  old,  were 
grazing  in  the  rough  field  before  mentioned,  all  reared  on  the 
farm.  Ten  very  good  Shorthorn  bullocks  and  4 Irish,  not  so 
good,  were  grazing  in  the  newly  laid-down  pasture. 
Sheep  are  a critical  stock  on  this  poor  clay-land,  as  the 
tenant  had  found  out  by  sad  experience.  Two  years  ago  a lot  of 
50  ewes  had  died  nearly  wholesale  from  rot,  and  this  year  five 
out  of  a score  of  Cheviot  ewes,  bought  in  October,  were  lost 
from  the  same  cause.  The  15  remaining  ewes  had  19  lambs, 
and,  with  one  exception,  were  doing  them  well.  Four  lambs 
were  sold  at  the  end  of  June,  and  made  42s.  each. 
Four  clever  horses  work  the  farm  ; three  of  them  reared  foals 
last  season,  and  one  foal  was  bought.  These  are  all  growing 
into  horses  on  the  farm. 
An  excellent  white  sow  and  her  litter  of  seven  were  all  in 
