The Berkshire Farm Prize Competition, 1882, 
545 
nance of suitable buildings for stock, purchase of artificial 
feeding-stuffs, grubbing up useless fences, and reducing to the 
narrowest limits those left. No part of this outlay could be 
regarded as of a fanciful or amateur character. 
In addition to this occupation, Mr. Ratcliff has an extensive 
business in London, so that his time at the Priory is limited; 
and the highest praise is due to him, that under these circum- 
stances he has, by dint of great judgment and energy, brought 
his farm into such admirable condition as makes it an example 
to the whole district ; taking therefore into consideration the 
general management with a view to profit, the extraordinary 
productiveness of crops, the marked excellence of the live-stock, 
the management of the grass-land and dairy produce, and the 
perfect state of neatness of gates, roads, and fences, points par- 
ticularly alluded to in our instructions, the Judges unanimously 
awarded the first prize of 100/. to Mr, Ratcliff, 
Second Prize, Class I, 
Mr. George Adams, Pidnell Farm, Faringdon. 
The extent of this occupation is 1082 acres, consisting of 
387 arable and 695 grass, and is held on a yearly tenancy from 
Col, Sir R. Loyd Lindsay, K.C.B., M.P., D, Bennett, Esq., 
T. H. Southby, Esq., and Oriel College, Oxford ; and 80 acres 
are owned by INIr. Adams. 
The soil is described as clay, gravel, and sand. 
The Pidnell farm, where Mr. Adams resides, and the other 
adjoining occupations, resting on the Oxford clay formation, are 
distant two miles north of Faringdon, and the land lies to the 
right and left of the road leading from there to Burford, 
The Thames is the boundary on the north, and is here crossed 
by Radcot Bridge, famous as the scene of the battle in 1387 
•between Henry IV., then Earl of Derby, and the Earl of 
Oxford. 
The acreage of the crops on the whole of the farms is 97 
wheat, 40 barley, 21 oats, 65 beans and peas, 20 vetches, 
31 mangolds, 42 swedes, 9 cabbage, 10 turnips, 31 grass seeds. 
The wheat is of the Golden Drop, Rivett's, and Square-head 
varieties. 
The usual cropping on the Pidnell and Thrupp farms is 
wheat every other year, alternating with roots, beans, and peas, 
clover, rye-grass, or vetches, a crop of barley or oats being taken 
occasionally after roots instead of wheat. The barley is of the 
awnless kind, and being stiff in the straw is less liable to lodge. 
VOL. XVIII,— S, S, 2 N 
