The Berkshire Farm Prize Competition, 1882. 551 
Mr. Adams has long been a successful breeder and exhibitor 
of Oxfordshire Down sheep, and has taken many prizes at 
the Royal, Bath and West of England, and local Shows. As 
already mentioned, he had the misfortune to lose in 1880 a fine 
flock of ewes of this breed ; but undaunted by such a reverse, he 
has, with praiseworthy pluck, set to work to raise another flock, 
and at the Reading meeting produced two admirable pens of 
shearling ewes. A ready sale is found for his rams and surplus 
females in both the home and foreign markets. The ewe flock 
get in the winter a pint each of malt-dust in the morning, with 
bean straw at night, besides green food. After lambing, the 
ewes have hay-chaff, with pulped mangolds ; those with 
twins are allowed extra, half a pound of cotton-cake. The 
lambs are early taught to feed on linseed-cake, pea-hull, bran 
and hay-chaff. 
The farm horses are of a good stamp for agricultural work, 
and are for the most part bred on the farm ; two journeys go to 
make up the day's work, and the bait consists of 70 lbs. a week 
for each horse of rice meal, with straw-chaff, pulped mangolds, 
and some hay. Mr. Adams thinks highly of this food for 
horses, and they were evidently sustained by it in good working 
condition. Except in severe frosts the horses constantly lie out 
in the pastures. 
A sensible institution on the farm is a bell, whose summons 
may be heard over all the home farms, telling the time for 
commencing and leaving work. 
True Berkshire pigs are cultivated, and, except those fatted for 
the house, usually go off as stores. In April the swine num- 
bered upwards of 70. Well-bred Dorking fowls and Aylesbury 
ducks are found in the poultry yards. 
Five substantial and conveniently arranged homesteads, all 
trim and neat, attest the frequent oversight of the master ; and 
the pleasant cottage of the foreman, with its gay and well- 
stocked garden, are agreeable to look upon. 
Near the Pidnell farm we noticed a most objectionable feature 
in a corn field, in the shape of a row of fourteen trees, about a 
chain from the hedge, most injurious to the crop, and neither 
picturesque nor useful. 
The Lodge farm had been held by Mr. Adams so short a time 
that we found it by no means free from couch ; neither was that 
pest absent from the home farms, yet such an evident effort had 
been made to grapple with the difficulties on the new under- 
taking, and such an improvement had been effected in cleaning 
the heavy land on the old occupation, that the Judges felt 
bound to make every allowance on this score. 
The quality of the live stock, with the judicious management 
