Report on the Farm-Prize Competition, 1870. 203 
the first or second prize, is nevertheless, in the opinion of the 
Judges, so meritorious in many respects, that they deemed it to 
be worthy of high commendation and of recommendation to the 
Royal Agricultural Society for a third prize of 25/., to which 
request I am happy to say the Council has acceded. 
It consists of 503 acres of land, 150 of which are pasture and 
353 arable. It is held on an annual tenancy under the Earl of 
Ducie, with an ordinary farm agreement. Mr. Craddock has 
occupied it some eleven or twelve years. At the time when he 
entered upon it a re-arrangement of the farms had just taken 
place at Lyneham, and two farms were then thrown into one, 
forming the one which he now occupies. The house and premises 
are situated in the village, and are built of stone and slate ; the 
latter are remarkably commodious, and provide ample accommo- 
dation for any amount of stock which can ever be kept upon the 
farm. There is also a fixed steam-engine, and some excellent 
machinery for cutting hay and straw, grinding cake, &c. These 
excellent farm buildings are by no means thrown away upon Mr. 
Craddock, for we have seldom seen upon any occupation so much 
order and neatness, and where the epithet of " a place for evei'y- 
thing, and everything in its place," could so rightly and properly 
be applied. 
The farm is bounded on the south-east by the high road from 
Barford, and is intersected almost in the middle by the road from 
Chipping-Norton to Shipton. The West Midland Railway runs 
along its western boundary, and at one point separates a large 
meadow from the rest of the farm. The surface-geology of the 
district is cornbrash and lias ; but the farm contains several 
varieties of soil. There is light and thin stonebrash, strong 
and poor clay loam, and about one-third perhaps of good mixed 
loam land. 
Some of the grass land is also very inferior, but there are some 
useful pastures near the village and homestead. 
This variety of soil necessitates a mixed rotation of crops, which 
is effected in the following manner : — 
The thin poor stonebrash is farmed upon the four-course shift ; 
the good mixed loam upon a five-course rotation, taking three-fifths 
of corn and pulse ; and the poor weak clay on a six-course shift, 
as follows : — 
1st. Roots, all drawn off. 
2nd. Wheat. 
3rd. Beans. 
4th. Barley and oats with seeds. 
5th. Seeds. 
Gth. Wheat. 
