233 Report on the Farm Prize Competition in 
from Captain Stawe Storey ; it is generally a strong clay soil, 
with stiff or stubborn clay subsoil. It has evidently been 
liberally manured from the farmyard and the ashpits of the 
colliers' cottages. From the faiTuyard 1,400 to 1,500 tons of 
manure are annually di-a^Ti, and 2,000 to 3,000 tons of the 
colliery manure and night-soil from cottages. 
The turnips and potatoes get the chief portion of this manure, 
and the fertile and mellow character of the soil showed that 
something like this must have been its usual dressing for some 
time. Thirty tons of superphosphate of bone, 25 tons special 
dissolved bones, 10 tons of nitrate of soda, and 600 to 1,000 tons 
of gas lime have also been used annually, and 300Z. expended in 
cakes and purchased feeding stuffs. Part of the land has been 
held for 40 years, but another part only 4 years. The Company has 
spent 1.212?. in draining the land, for which the farm is charged 
6 per cent, per annum. The owner had expended over 1,546^. in 
draining, for which he charged the tenants with interest at the 
rate of 5 per cent, per annum, and he had further drained subsided 
portions of the land at a cost of 827?. from time to time, free of 
interest. About 730 acres of the farm had thus been drained. 
One field was pointed out where the slope of the sm-face had 
been entirely changed, and where the outfall was running in an 
opposite direction to that of a few years before. 
It will be seen that all the operations on this farm are on a 
large scale, and that it requires much capital and great energy 
and perseverance in its superintendence. In addition to this, the 
manager had to provide 400 tons of hay annually, and also to 
provide on the farm-premises chopped haj', Indian corn, beans, 
or other com, for 400 horses and ponies, and deliver it daily at 
the several coal-pits of the Company for consumption. The 
relative cost of horses per week in com and hay or gi'ass, we 
were told, was, in 1886, 8s. Q\d. each; in 1885, Ss. i^d.', and 
in 1884, 9.S". Z\d., two ponies being counted as one horse. In 
1885, 33 horses were suffocated in 10 minutes in one of the 
pits, and it took 436?. to replace them. 
The gi'een crops on this holding all looked remarkably well 
at our final inspection, and the corn crops very promising. The 
stock of cattle was of mixed character, and not as good in 
quality as the sheep flock. This was both well selected and 
skilfully managed ; the ewes were of the border Leicester breed, 
and their lambs were being sold at nine months old for 426-. each. 
The plan followed was to distribute them over the grass land in 
small numbers, and to keep moving them frequently, and always, 
if possible, into a better pasture. The cultivation of the arable 
land was also done in a skilful manner. The horses, which were 
all geldings, were fine strong animals, were well kept, and were 
