Somersetshire Farm-Prize Competition, 1875. 581 
House and Buildings. — The house is a useful and commodious 
farm residence, and, with its garden, fronts the approach through 
the farm. The farm-buildings are behind it, and are a credit to 
both landlord and tenant. Thej are built of red sandstone, and 
the roofs are slated. There are double yards and open byres, 
as well as separate feeding-boxes for fattening cattle. The ma- 
chinery has been arranged with considerable skill and fore- 
thought, and is worked by a water-wheel. The motive power 
for working the machinery is at a distance of 180 yards from 
it, and is connected by means of a long spindle extending 
that length. The loss from this long connection is estimated 
at 2-horse-power, the power being equivalent to 7-horse-power 
at the stream, while 5-horse-power only becomes available at the 
buildings. A fixed threshing-machine is used, and winnowing- 
machinery, chaff-cutter, pulper, and kibbling-stones are all 
conveniently erected with a view to the economy of space and 
. labour. The finishing of the grain for market is done by 
separate winnowing, the power derived from the water-wheel 
being insufficient to complete all the processes at the same time. 
Tenure. — The tenure is from year to year from Michaelmas 
Day, and the landlord agrees to take the tenant's fixtures, with 
water-wheel and machinery, at a valuation at the end of the term. 
Grass Land. — The grass land is by no means of first-rate 
quality. A trout brook, which is a tributary of the Tone, skirts 
the bottom of it, and forms a boundary to the farm. By diver- 
sion, a copious stream of water passes also on the upper side 
of the meadows, and, after supplying the water-wheel, is then 
applied for irrigation purposes. The overflow of the yards is 
collected in a pond, and used in a similar manner. The urder- 
drainage of the upper and arable portion of the farm can likewise 
be utilised for flushing the meadows, by diverting it from the 
main drain on its entrance into the upper portions of the pas- 
tures. Bickford's system of irrigation has been adopted, and 
has found favour with Mr. Davis. The effect of water action 
on this land is apparently beneficial, but not so markedly satis- 
factory as in those instances where springs are used nearer their 
origin, and where consequently the temperature of the water is 
higher. 
The meadows have a cold white clay subsoil, with occasional 
beds of gravel. They have been drained from 6 to 7 feet deep 
at a distance of 200 feet apart, but from the rushes that still 
remain the space between each drain appears to be too great. 
The whole of the grass land has not yet been prepared for 
irrigation. 
An experiment with top-dressing has been tried this year, 
with apparently good results in each instance, although, as the 
