584 
The Farm-Prize Competition, 1884. 
ing to Mr. Miles's report, in a very bad state ; the plough-land 
was so wild that the whole had to be summer fallowed ; for this 
purpose steam-power was hired. The off-going tenant's last 
crop of wheat upon wheat Avas absolute rubbish, and was burnt 
upon the ground. He was an excellent man and a clever barrel- 
maker, which was his trade, but did not understand farming, 
and consequently during his sis years' occupation dropped his 
money, and left the farm in a wretched state. In 1878, an 
exchange of lands allowed of an important alteration in the 
holding. The five fields alluded to, comprising 37 a. 1 r. 13 p., 
were added, and outlying lands comprising 24 a. 2 r. 8 p. 
were taken from the farm. Nearly three-fourths were strong 
tillage land, requiring to be summer fallowed, the rest poor 
grass-land. Rent and tithe was lowered to 42s. 6rf. an acre, 
which, as far as we could judge, is a good rent. At this 
time the farm comprised 48 acres of old grass and 79 of 
tillage, a proportion not suitable for dairy occupation ; and Mr, 
Miles, as soon as the land was clean, laid down the whole of the 
newly-acquired arable land near the homestead and two fields 
at the other extremity of the farm. These fields look extremely 
well, they have been manured or dressed with compost every 
year since they were laid. The land was first thoroughly cleaned 
and well manured. The seeds, supplied by F. Dixon and Son, 
Chester, were sown in wheat, and usually grazed the first year, 
mown the second year, and dressed as above. The landlord found 
part of the seeds. Mr. Miles varies the mowing-ground, by 
which plan he prevents any of it becoming rough and coarse, 
as it would do where the manure was dropped if always grazed. 
All manure to grass-land is applied in the autumn. Great care 
is exercised to have the clots well distributed. Mr. Miles states 
that the first year he occupied the farm the whole of the corn 
was represented by one small oat-rick, whilst last year with 
much less tillage-land the rickyard was not large enough to hold 
the corn, and a barley-stack was thrashed out to make room 
for the beans. Amongst the improvements carried out by the 
tenant may be mentioned the leading of all materials for the 
farm-buildings, which are excellently adapted for the require- 
ments of the farm ; the filling up of the old manure-hole 
opposite the dairy, which caused a stench which was most 
unwholesome ; placing new drains, &c., making new roads 
about buildings and a new pond ; fences and ditches improved 
all over the farm, and now in very creditable condition ; plant- 
ing fruit-trees in garden and fences ; and doing the labour of a 
lot of drainage, locally known as " soughing," the landlord find- 
ing pipes ; some draining, particularly in one of the peaty fields, 
was entirely done by the landlord, of whom the tenant speaks 
in the highest terms, expressing the greatest confidence in his 
