Report on the Farm-Prize Competition of 1872. 285 
hours each day on a piece of swedes or common turnips ; or, 
failing this, they have a load or so daily given them on the 
pasture. The lambs are dropped early in March, the crop 
commonly averaging four lambs to three ewes. At about a month 
old the ram lambs (with the exception of a few reserved for 
breeding purposes) are castrated, and the whole are weaned early 
in July. They are not shorn, but are twice dipped, and some- 
times powdered also, during the summer and autumn, and are 
run on the clovers and seeds until September. They are then 
placed upon white turnips, which they eat uncut, and are given 
a liberal allowance of hay, a few older sheep being mixed with 
them until they get accustomed to their new food. In December, 
or sooner if the supply of common turnips has run out, the wether 
lambs are separated from the ewe lambs, and the whole are put 
upon cut swedes. In January the wethers begin to have about a 
Jib. of a mixture composed of equal parts of decorticated cotton 
cake and Indian corn, and, in INIarch, this is increased to ^Ib. 
The same mode of treatment goes on until the swedes are all con- 
sumed, usually towards the middle of April, when the wethers are 
shorn and sent to market. This year the average weight of the 
one-year-old wethers was about 21 lbs. per quarter, and they 
were delivered by instalments to suit the convenience of the 
purchaser. The draft ewes and shearlings are treated in much 
the same manner as the wether tegrs, the main difference beins: 
their having, in addition to the cotton-cake and Indian corn, 
half a pound each daily of " Tinworks bran," If prices are 
good, and the supply of roots limited, these are sold off in the 
wool about the middle or end of March. Not requiring to be 
made fit for market, the ewe-tegs are fed, after their separation 
from the wethers, on cut roots and hay, no cake or corn being 
allowed. When the swedes have all been consumed they are 
hurdled on the two-year-old seeds, and are shorn about the 
middle of May. Mr. Powell, like most of his neighbours, is 
much troubled with foot-rot in his flock. As a remedy he 
uses sulphate of copper and alum mixed with common lard. 
Fluke-worm, or liver-rot, also prevails to some extent, and 
doubtless these two diseases may be attributed to the low and 
damp situation of much of the grass land. 
Pigs. — Three breeding sows of a large white breed are kept, 
but they call for no lengthened remarks. Their produce, with 
the exception of those required for home feeding and recruiting 
the breeding stock, are sold off, at 8 or 9 weeks old, and gene- 
rally bring from 20s. to 26s. each. 
Rotation of Crops. — Mr. Powell for the most part adopts the 
five-course system of cropping, namely — 1. Roots ; 2. Wheat 
or Barley ; 3. Seeds ; 4. Grass ; 5. Oats. When this rule is 
