520 Somersetshire Farm-Prize Competition, 1875. 
cattle were housed at all on the ordinary run of farms, and 
we seldom passed a homestead in the early winter mornings 
without observing a herd of shivering animals in some ad- 
jacent field. 
The cottages are very defective, and are built of various 
materials, according to the district they are in. Sometimes 
the walls are run up with mud, sometimes with rubble and 
some sort of mortar, and sometimes of better material, as is 
the case where stone is abundant. It is not improbable that 
many of the worst of them are freeholds or copyholds secured 
from common lands under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the 
Manor, but there is room for improvement in other districts also. 
The enclosures are irregular and ill-shapen, and hedge-row 
timber is far too thick for successful agriculture in many parts 
of the county. On some farms the fields are small, and separated 
from one another by other occupations. An example came under 
our notice of a farm which contained 240 acres of land in one 
parish, and which was divided into 180 fields, mostly detached 
from one another. 
Occupations of this description are often found to be held on 
a lease for three lives, a form of tenure that seems to have found 
favour in times past, but which is properly being abolished as 
opportunity offers. The tenants usually farm how they like, 
can fell timber for repairs much the same as on copyhold, but 
are not allowed to remove timber or minerals. The evils of 
intermixture of different holdings to a large extent must be 
patent to all, but the difficulties of exchange are found practi- 
cally to be insurmountable. 
But there is another side of the picture. Exceptions to in- 
different husbandry among others beside competitors notably 
exist, and were apparent on many well-cultivated farms we 
passed by on our various drives, some of which Avere through 
unsurpassable scenery. New houses, buildings, and cottages 
showed themselves from time to time as we passed along, and 
in every instance the work seemed to be well carried out. That a 
move in this direction has taken place will also appear from the 
description of some of the inspected farms ; and ifc would be 
unjust to the President of the Society, Viscount Bridport, if we 
did not here mention the very substantial improvements recently 
completed in the buildings of Mr. W. Bullen's farm, on his lord- 
ohip's property, near Cricket St. Thomas, the outlay on which, 
although by no means injudicious, must have been very con- 
siderable. May these examples bear fruit. We will hope so; 
and that a new era, from which continuous improvement will 
date, commenced with the visit of the Royal Agricultural 
Society to Somersetshire in 1875. 
