Noititujhamshire and Lincolnshire in 1888 : Class 1. 553 
employed, and the risk and trouble it involves. The produce of 
live or six cows is sold as milk in the village at lOfZ. a gallon. 
Although the adjacent collieries are no doubt the cause of 
higher wages, they are made helpful in a way to the labour bill. 
It appears that boys are refused employment underground until 
long after an age when they are very useful on a farm. There 
is consequently a pretty good supply of available youngsters, of 
which advantage is taken, and a number of them are put with a 
man. 
Mr. Machin's son acts as his deputy in his absence, and the 
daughters very efficiently and cheerfully assist Mrs. Machin in 
the domestic economies, and with the fowls, &c., preferring to 
dispense with much hired service in the house. As no men are 
boarded in the house, the work, it may be hoped, is consider- 
ably lighter than that which appeared to fall upon the shoulders 
of Mrs. Curtis Machin. 
Water is received here also from the Waterworks for some of 
the premises and fields, at a charge of 4d. per 1,000 gallons. 
The figures of the farm accounts, shown on page 539, speak 
pretty eloquently of good management, and if this is accom- 
panied by a trifle less of the extraordinary economy, the versa- 
tility, and the mastery and strict supervision of minutest detail 
of the winner of the First Prize, the difference may be owing to 
other duties of Mr. W. Machin as sub-agent to his landlord. 
His farm is also upon the estate of Mr. Montagu, and both the 
brothers speak in the highest and warmest possible terms of 
their relationship with him. Mr. W. Machin's son has kept very 
strict and careful accounts in a proper and businesslike way for 
the year 1887-88, which stood a pretty close analysis, and the' 
figures on the schedule may be supplemented here by saying 
that the net balance of the year, when all the expenses of the 
farm are duly charged, amounts to the astonishing sum of l,800i. 
For the previous year it was 600L, and the accounts were less 
satisfactory. It was the first attempt by father or son at any- 
thing of the kind, and it was the opinion of the Judges that 
some items of expenditure had been less carefully recorded, and 
consequently that the balance should have been rather less. In 
both cases, however, valuations had been made at the beginning 
and end of the year. 
Of course the capital employed is very large, and there is 
no charge for interest against it in either case. Then it should 
be remembered that the last year was in many ways peculiarly 
favourable to the main business of this farm, viz. the manufac- 
ture of meat. For instance, store stock were bought at unusually 
favourable figures. The price of all feeding stuffs was exceed- 
