572 The Farm-Prize Competition, 1884. 
The grazing of the meadow lands, and their improvement by 
a large consumption of cake and by the use of bones, of which 
Mr. Pearce uses more now than when he first became tenant, 
have proved their value in developing good herbage, and are 
most commendable features of the management at Welbroughton. 
We had a striking instance of this in the case of No. 833, Long- 
wood, a tract of nearly 48 acres, which, as its name implies, was 
probably once a forest. At any rate, judging from the appear- 
ance of the land on the other side of the road, it would without 
good farming be very inferior grass. The colour and quality of 
the herbage afforded a striking contrast to the wretched stuff 
referred to, brown in colour and filled with rushes and bad 
grasses. Two dressings have been applied ; that of last year 
consisted of 5 cwt. of bones and 3 cwt. of phosphate per acre ; 
a portion at the farther side was not so treated, and the difference 
both in colour and herbage was very apparent. In May this 
field was carrying a score of young heifers, one- and two-year- 
olds, 55 ewes, and 80 lambs, and there was abundance of food. 
This field illustrates the advantage of liberal treatment, and also 
how greatly present condition is due to the tenant's capital, for 
the unexhausted portions of which the Act of last year will give 
him compensation. Another evidence of the value of bones 
applied and cake consumed on grass-land is the fact that now 
half as many more cattle can be grazed as at first. On both our 
visits we inspected the Pollymore farm, which was well stocked 
and equally creditable. Inasmuch as the two farms are worked 
together, it is not easy to separate the outlay in labour ; but, taking 
the whole and averaging the amount, we get 1/. 5^. an acre, made 
as follows : — 
£ s. d. 
3 Waggoners at 15s. a week, one only with cottage, valued] 
at bl. 2>l. each extra for corn - harvest, and beerV 132 10 0 
money for hay time, 10s j 
Shepherd at 16s. a week. 21. for lambing, cottage, and) 52 2 0 
extra as above j 
6 Labourers at 14s. a week. Extra at harvests = 39Z. 18s. each 239 8 0 
3 Boys at 4s. M. a week 35 2 0 
£459 2 0 
The outlay in purchased foods for the whole farm of 530 acres 
was in 1883, 723Z. 16s. ; to this must be added the value of 
home-grown grain consumed, 200/. ; total, 923Z. 16s., equal to 
35.9. an acre. The cost of artificial manures for the same year 
was 294/. lis. Id., or 2/. 6s. per acre as the cost of foods con- 
sumed and manures purchased over the whole occupation, which 
indicates very high farming. The valuation at Christmas 1883, 
amounted to 5240/. 10s. over the whole area, and Mr. Pearce 
