Derby Prize-Farm Competition, 1881. 
525 
Sheep. — ]VIr. Price has very strong faith in Shropshires. He 
says he has " tried Leicesters, Lincolns, Cotswolds, and Oxford 
Downs, but Shropshires are the most rent-paying class of sheep 
for this locality." He has had rams from Messrs. German, 
Masfen, Baker, and Coxon, but the ewes are home-bred. In 
December the tegs were within hurdles on the second seeds, 
eating swedes and cake. These were sold in February and March, 
out of the wool, at dd. a lb., making an average of 60s. per 
head. 
la December. 
40 Ewes. 
88 Grazing slieep. 
101 Tesrs. 
229 
In May. 
06 Ewes. 
113 Lambs. 
27 Ewe tegs. 
5 IJams. 
211 
In July. 
65 Ewes. 
113 Lambs. 
27 Ewe tegs. 
5 Earns. 
210 
The fat sheep and tegs get a mixture of cake and corn, ^ lb. 
to 1^ lb. per head per day, with roots during winter. Ewes run 
upon grass-land and get a little chop and ground oats before 
they commence to lamb ; ewes with twins receive a little 
artificial food till the lambs are weaned, and if requisite those 
with single lambs also. The lambs are weaned by the middle 
of July, and have ^ lb. of corn and cake a-head per day. Ewes 
are then examined, about one-third of the ewe flock is culled 
out and at once put to feed without allowing them to sink, the 
flock being again made up by ewe tegs. Only one sheep was 
lost between December and July, and not any from rot. 
Altogether they are a fine, healthy, good lot of sheep, such as 
any farmer may be proud of. The ewes reared a splendid crop 
of lambs, 113 with 65 ewes, and the Leicestershire Agricultural 
Society awarded to Mr. Price the first prize in short-wooUed 
classes for rearing, with smallest loss of ewes, the largest 
number of lambs. There were about a dozen entries. We 
hope Mr. Price, jun., holds the prize, for it was won through 
his attention. 
Horses. — Five valuable cart-horses are kept. In July they 
had got through their term, and were enjoying a recess out in 
a grass-field. Grass only is their food when they do no work ; 
in winter they have daily 6 lbs. oats per head with swedes and 
hay ad lib. There were also one strong foal and two young 
horses. 
Poultry. — In the accounts we noticed that the sum of 
35/. 13s. 9<f. was placed to the credit of this department. 
Labour. — Considering the extent of the arable land and the 
admirable way in which everything is done, 25s. Qd. per acre 
is a low figure for the cost of labour, but then Mr. Price, jun., 
