Derby Prize-Farm Competition, 1881. 505 
at an average price of rather more than Is. Ad. per lb. At the 
Abbey Farm, about 10 cwts. of cheese, worth 40/., and butter 
sold for 12/. IGs. 8^/., were made in 1880. At HoUington the 
sale of milk and cream has averaged in the last three years 3/. 
per week, and butter has been sold to the value of 80/. per year. 
1880. 
£ s. 
Eaigs have been sold from Abbcv Farm to tlic value of . . 30 0 
Hollington 10 8 
NothiU 8 10 
Geese have been sold to the value of 10 0 
Other poultry, about 5 0 
Ten labourers are regularly employed, four of whom have 
their board. 
Besides these there is a foreman at the Nothill Farm, whose 
wife makes the cheese, assisted by a strong girl. This foreman 
also does most of the carpenter's work at that farm, and there 
are two young Irishmen who lodge at the farmstead. 
Two boys are also boarded and lodged at the Abbey Farm. 
One dairy woman is employed at the Abbey Farm to attend to 
the milk and assist in housework. 
The cost in labour in 1880 was — 
£ 
In cash 710 
Estimated cost of board and other extras .. 250 
960 
No beer has been given for the last two years. 
With regard to improvements on the Nothill Farm during the 
twenty-five years with which I have been connected with the 
management, about 80 acres have been drained 4 feet deep, 
and about 10 yards apart, at the cost of about 5/. per acre, the 
whole of which was borne by myself. Most of this work was 
done from twelve to twenty years ago. 
Fifteen acres were seeded permanently seven years ago, and 
have been repeatedly to})-dressed. Thirty acres were seeded 
shortly before it came into my hands. One field was laid down 
last year. A large number of useless hedges, which on this 
wet soil caused much treading of stock, have been cleared away. 
The farm was entirely without roads, and in a wet time was 
very much trodden up about the house ; 400 or 500 tons of 
road material have been carted on to the farm in the last three 
years, the landlord paying cost of material at the wharf. 
By continuous liberal feeding to cattle and pigs, and espe- 
cially by a free use of decorticated cotton-cake to dairy cows in 
the summer, the productiveness of the pastures on this farm, 
which were previously very poor, has been much increased. 
2 M 2 
