Somersetshii-e Farm-Prize Competition, 1875. 571 
the spring after first feeding off. Twelve tons of well-prepared 
farmvard-manure is applied to the acre. 
Wheat is sown on the clover-leys, which are ploughed in 
October. The sowing is usually completed towards the naiddle 
of November. A light dressing of lime and 3 cwt. of salt are 
I sometimes ploughed in on the unmanured part ; but more 
reliance is placed upon top-dressing in the spring, which is the 
invariable practice pursued in this neighbourhood, and which, 
Mr. Bowerman asserts, pays in the increased production ; it 
does not subject the plant to blight or rust under his system of 
jfarming, and is not exhaustive. The thick-set Essex, as in most 
parts of Somersetshire, is here grown, and about 7 pecks per 
acre of seed is sown. The wheat this year was all top-dressed 
twice, at an interval of three weeks ; the first time in March, 
the second in April : \ cwt. of nitrate of soda, ^ cwt. of super- 
phosphate, and ^ cwt. of Bernard and Lock's concentrated 
manure, are put on at each application, making a total heavy 
top-dressing of 
1 cwt. of nitrate of soda, 
2 cwt. of superphosphate, 
at a cost of 1/. 2*. 6rf. per acre. 
Spring wheat after turnips received a dressing of the same 
manures, equivalent to a cost of 17s. 6rf. per acre. 
At their first inspection in November, the Judges found the 
autumn wheat up and doing well. The swedes were being fed 
off with sheep: they were a fair crop, but, from being close in 
the rows and set out narrow, were not so large as they might 
otherwise have been. The dryness of the season of 1874 was 
the reason assigned by Mr. Bowerman for leaving them so close 
together ; his idea being that the lateness of the rainfall would 
not give time for extended growth before winter. The turnip- 
land was clean and well cultivated, and the common turnips 
very good. The stock was all doing well ; but there had been 
considerable mortality amongst the lambs previous to our visit, 
owing to the prevalence of husk and scour produced by the 
presence of the parasite called Strongijliis filaria. 
On the second visit, in May, the wheat and barley were found 
looking very well. The mangolds were forward, and the land 
was clean and well cultivated, as also was that preparing for the 
! other roots. The winter vetches, which were heavy, were rather 
later than in the vales, and were being folded with sheep. The 
spring vetches were equally good, but of course more back- 
ward. The clovers were thick and luxuriant. The 2-year-old 
seeds had been preserved for mowing, and yielded an exceed- 
ingly heavy crop. The sheep were on the vetches and clovers, 
2 r 2 
