546 Tlie Berkshire Farm Prize Competition, 1882. 
Three bushels of this grain is sown per acre, and two bushels of 
wheat. 
Some of Mr. Adams' land is on a level with the Thames, and 
during the past four years has been frequently flooded, and 
appears to be still suffering from the effects of too much water ; 
consequently the corn in places had a sickly appearance con- 
trasted with the generally full and healthy crops. Owing to 
the same cause Mr. Adams had been unable to eradicate all the 
couch : with suitable weather in the autumn an early smashing 
by steam would probably be highly beneficial in cleaning the 
ground. 
Spring beans and peas, sown together the first week in March 
in rows twelve inches apart, looked strong, and promised a good 
yield ; the winter beans, in consequence of the mildness of that 
season, had made a too vigorous growth, were thicker than con- 
sistent with productiveness, and had run up to a height of sis 
feet ; seven acres of this crop, badly blighted, had been mown 
in June, and the land was to be cleaned ready for a crop of rape. 
The sowing of mangolds was going on at the home farm at 
the time of our second visit on the 18th April; a water drill 
depositing 7 lbs, of Sutton's Golden Tankard seed per acre, and 
3 cwt. of superphosphate, on land previously prepared by a good 
coating of dung, and 4 cwt. of salt per acre. On our last visit 
this crop nearly covered the ground, and had been twice hoed 
at a cost of 10s. per acre. Cabbage were planted next the man- 
golds with every prospect of giving a large amount of valuable 
food, and a narrow corner bore a crop of prickly comfrey, from 
which two or three crops had been already cut. 
With such a large proportion of grass-land the hay harvest is 
an anxious time with Mr. Adams, who appears to have an 
admirable arrangement for its ingathering. 
The cutting is let to the men at lOd. per acre, machine and 
horses being provided, and this price includes mowing by hand 
round the field and under trees ; Is. 2d. an acre is paid for 
pitching and loading, the same price for making stack bottoms,, 
building, pulling, and topping up ; and Ad. per acre for raking. 
Women and tedding machines are employed in making the hay,, 
and an elevator is used for stacking. 
In harvest the wheat and oats are cut by hand and tied at lis. ;. 
beans at 10s. ; and the carrying costs 2s. 9d. per acre. 
Wheat and beans are paid for at the rate of 4s. per acre for each 
hoeing ; swedes at 4s. Qd. ; and ditching is done at Is. dd. a chain. 
The annual cost of labour is 29s. 8d. per acre on the Pidnell 
farms, and at the Lodge it will this year amount to 35s. Carters 
get 14s. per week, stockmen the same, while ordinary labourers 
receive 12s. a week. 
