Report on the Farm-Prize Competition 0/ 1885. 
549 
free working soil of moderate natural fertility. In the neigh- 
bourhood of Liverpool the soil is more characteristic of the 
formation from which it is derived ; and in Cheshire, at Ashley 
Hall and also at Chelford, the soil on the same formation is light 
sandv loam of good texture. With the farms on the Chester 
and Welsh side of the district within which the Society's 
premiums were offered, we need not now concern ourselves, as 
they do not appear in this Report, though they also were mostly 
on this same formation. 
Lancashire enjoys the unenviable distinction of being one of 
those North- Western counties in which the largest rainfall is 
registered annually ; Westmoreland, the adjoining county, I 
believe, having the largest of all ; the three together, viz., Cum- 
berland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire, averaging something 
like from two to three times the depth of rain which falls in 
some of the Eastern counties. This moist climate no doubt 
favours the growth of grass, which forms such a very extensive 
and important proportion of the leading farms with which we 
here have to do ; but how far it favours the making of grass into 
hay is doubtful. There is no room for doubt, however, that it 
has been made into the very best of hay this year, without so 
much credit to the farmer as to the magnificent hay weather 
which came to his aid. And the same is true of last vear also, 
as the stacks still standing gave abundant evidence ; and I 
should be inclined to think that hard work and skilful manage- 
ment, such as we saw brought to bear upon the hay harvest of 
this season, will, in the majority of years, avert the serious loss 
and damage which are so often the result of carelessness and 
want of energy in the process of hay-making. 
But if the worst comes to the worst, let the weather be ever 
so bad, the farmer whose occupation is within carting distance 
of Liverpool has, in delivering his grass green, a very useful 
alternative, and one of which he often avails himself. I will 
not go into the abstruse question as to whether he ought or 
ought not to adopt the third alternative, and make silage ; but 
he certainly will not be likely to do so, at any rate until silage 
has a recognised place and price quotation on the Liverpool 
market, which I hardly think is the case at present ; and in the 
meantime, selling grass at a pound a ton is a fairly good ready- 
money business as times go. 
The moist climate, together with a porous soil, is also favour- 
able to the cultivation of potatoes, which is quite one of the 
most important crops, and probably the most valuable one that 
is grown in this district ; and this season the potato crop 
appeared to be more uniformly good than any other, and should 
turn out of excellent quality. 
