5-38 
Report on the Farm Prize Competition. 
The Judges are also authorised to recommend to the Council the Award 
of Certificates to any really deserving persons employed on any of the 
competing farms for distinguished merit in the discharge of their duties, 
such recommendations to be accompanied by a certificate of good character 
and length of service from the competing farmer. 
Now it may be said at once that the Judges, as practical 
men, desire to make no secret of the fact that they have 
given very great prominence to No. 1 of the Instructions, as 
being in their opinion of the greatest importance in itself, 
and as to a considerable extent including some of the others. 
After making due allowances, therefore, for the raw material on 
which each competitor had to work, and unless other matters 
were very unequal, that man had very decidedly the best chance 
whose general management with a view to profit was the best. 
Or, in other words, it is the opinion of the Judges that he is 
mostly the best farmer who contrives to get the utmost possible 
return out of his land at the least cost, whilst maintaining or 
increasing its fertility and cleanliness. No undue weight has 
been given to excessive elaboration, for although it is very 
pleasing indeed to the eye, is it not the pocket which is in the 
most need of nourishment, particularly now that we are engaged 
in such deadly competition with all the greatest slovens of the 
civilised world ? At the same time, of course, it has been by no 
means forgotten that neatness, order, and good workmanship 
are but a part of the truest economy in the management of 
every good farmer. 
The Table on page 5-39 shows the amount of the total 
receipts under separate headings for each of the farms, and also, 
in the same way, the expenditure, exclusive of tradesmen's bills 
and sundries, for as many years as could be obtained, and the 
net returns per acre. 
First Prize Farm. 
Occupied 1)1/ Mr. S. C. Machin, The Forest Farm, Pappleivicl; 
Nottingham, 
It was plain to all the Judges at their first visit to this farm 
that it was under no common management, and each subsequent 
one much sti'engthened the impression, and thej^ were ultimately 
convinced that they had never before seen more sound economy 
and fertility of resource, united with the capacity and the 
determination to turn every possible opportunity to the best 
account. Mr. Machin is a great doer, as are all about liim ; 
but he is eminently a thinker first, and it became strikinglj' 
evident throughout the inspections that there was no detail of 
