Sewage Farm Competition, 1879. 
61 
grown is the " Victori.a," a late variety. Up to June of tliis year about 30/. 
had been realised for the crop. The roots are planted about 4 feet apart, and 
every three ycai's they are fallen up and divided. The crop is watered with 
sewage in the spring and early summer. There is no sale for this crop after 
the marketing period is over. The crop is not grown on the sewage farm 
proper, but on that portion of the land reserved for works. 
Rotation of Cropping. — No regular system of rotation of 
■cropping is observed on this farm, owing to the fact that every 
year a large part of it is sacrificed in dealing with the sewage- 
sludge. Experience gained on this farm shows no deviation 
from the general rule that rye-grass pays best ; next mangolds, 
then follow cabbages ; and that sewage does not answer so well 
for any other crop, and also that the growing of garden stuff on 
a sewage farm is more or less a mistake. The farm is well- 
managed, clean, and generally in good order, and shows signs, 
when more land is obtained, of being quite a success. 
Farm Buildings. — The farm buildings are new, very con- 
venient, and complete, arrangements having been adopted in the 
desisrn to economise both labour and straw. 
O 
Cattle. — Thirty-four cows in milk, of a mixed character, prin- 
cipally Shorthorns, have been bought in for milking, and there 
are, besides, ten feeding cows, six yearling heifers, and one Short- 
horn bull, bred on the farm. All dry and barren cows are fatted 
on cut hay, linseed-cake, and bean-meal, and are then sold to a 
butcher. Cows for milking are bought in just before they calve. 
The calves are sold at three or four days old, and realise from 355. 
to 40s. each. The cows are kept in full milk about six months. 
In summer the milking cows are fed twice a-day on dry stuff, 
and three times a-day on green food, the food used being rye- 
grass, cotton-cake, and bean, oat, or maize-meal. When feeding 
on grass each cow has 2 lbs. of decorticated cotton-cake and 
4 lbs. of oat, bean, or maize-meal. In the winter the cows are 
principally fed on brewers' grains, cut hay, bean, oat, or maize- 
meal, all of which are steamed. Each cow yields in the six 
months, when in full milk, 2f gallons per head per day ; and 
this milk is sold at 9fZ. per gallon of four quarts in the summer, 
and 9Jr/, in the winter. The heifers on the farm are put to the 
bull when 21 months old, and calved. 
Sheep. — In February 1879 there were forty-two Shropshire 
ewes on the farm, which had been purchased in the previous 
autumn and put to a ram. They were an excellent lot of ewes, 
and in very good condition, and certainly seemed to thrive upon 
the rye-grass pasture. They produced seventy-two lambs, being 
at the rate of li^ths per ewe, which had mostly been sold to the 
butcher, fat, at prices from 38s. downwards. The ewes had 
decorticated cotton-cake and kibbled maize on the pastures, and 
were in turn sold fat, as it was not considered well to keep them 
