Somersetshire Farm-Prize Competition, 1875. 525 
Mr. Babbage considers that all land of the description he 
arms should be seeded out with rape in preference to a corn crop, 
he grass being more abundant and luxuriant than when sown 
vith grain, and the rape producing an especially healthy change 
or lambs. 
A small proportion of six or seven acres of grass is usually 
nown annually, and this invariably consists of the second year's 
growth. Occasionally no hay at all is harvested, the deficiency 
n such a case being made good by an increased consumption of 
lome-grown oats. The farmyard-manure is almost all applied 
;o the grass, sometimes in November succeeding the seeding 
out, at others one year later. 
It will be seen from the foregoing remarks that the course of 
Topping is of five years' duration, and may be summarised — 
Oats, I Seeds and Grass, 
Roots, Seeds and Grass. 
Rape seeded out. 
The autumn inspection of the Judges enabled them to see the 
itubbles and a portion of last year's roots. The former were 
latisfactory ; the latter, which were being fed off with sheep, 
vere small and not very carefully singled, the reason assigned 
leing that as they had suffered so much from the early drought 
)f 1874, it was thought that more keep would be produced by 
eaving them thick in the rows. They were certainly too thick 
o have made much size, especially as the rows are placed so 
hort a distance apart — a practice that may be suitable to a 
ate poor district, but which seems to be very generally adopted 
hroughout the county. 
\ Acreage under respective Ceops this Year. 
. Acres. 
Oats, black 3G 
white 18 
MangolJs (Yellow Globe) 2 
Cariots (White Belgian) ^ 
Swedes (Sutton's Cliampion) 9i 
Turnips (Green Round) 20 
Rape seeded out 41 
Second year's grass 37 
Third year's grass 42 
Uiireclairaed, six of which are being! -j^,- 
made available j 
. 135 
Total .. .'. .. 221 
\ At the second inspection of the Judges, which took place on 
54 
32 
