174 
Farm Prize Competition, 1907. 
Water-drilling is now considered old-fashioned, being much 
more in vogue thirty years ago, but Mr. Evens has always been 
satisfied with the system and sees no reason to change. The 
water-drill is usually six feet wide, drilling four rows eighteen 
inches apart. It has a large body which is almost filled with 
water once each “ round,” the artificial manures being also put 
in. The cup-bearing wheels revolving in the body churn the 
Avhole contents up into a sort of liquid gruel, the seed joins this 
in the coulters about a foot from the ground and all pass into 
the soil together. Unless the soil is especially dry, this small 
quantity of added moisture ensures the prompt germination 
of the seed. Water-drilling is rather expensive because of the 
narrowness of the drill, the carting of water, and the time 
occupied in filling. One can drill about eight acres a day with 
three horses. 
Mangold Seed is drilled on ridges and receives a very 
liberal dressing of farm-yard manure with 3 cwt. of mineral 
artificials as above, and 3 cwt. of salt. After the plants have 
been singled they receive a further dressing of 3 cwt. of salt 
mixed with 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda. The mangold crop 
showed a very full plant, and the ground was beautifully clean. 
Barley is sown after roots fed off with sheep receiving 
a liberal allowance of cake, and needs no further manuring. 
The yield runs from four to five quarters per acre, usually of 
good quality, but perhaps not so fine in the grain as when the 
barley follows wheat after two years’ seeds. The land was 
very clean and the crops looked well up to the average, the 
best crop being from Scotch seed grown for the second year. 
Oats, like barley, are grown after roots fed off with sheep, or 
possibly after two years’ seeds, and are not specially manured. 
The oats grown in 1907 were the “ Giant Eliza,” grown from 
Norfolk seed, and looked a capital crop. When a second corn 
crop is taken the land receives a dressing of 2 cwt. of super- 
phosphate at time of solving, and the crop is top-dressed later 
with 1 cwt. nitrate of soda per acre if considered necessary. 
Seeds. — Particular attention is paid to the young clovers 
in winter. They are manured with eight to ten loads of farm- 
yard manure per acre drawn straight from the covered yards. 
This is done directly after harvest, if practicable, or at any rate 
during the autumn and winter, the object being to get the 
clovers as far forward as possible and thus enable them to carry 
a big head of stock. Mr. Evens is a great believer in the 
principle that a good plant of clover will be followed by a 
heavy crop of wheat. The portion of young clovers for grazing 
is eaten off by sheep receiving cake, as also is the “ eddish ” of 
the mown portion. The seed pastures were good, and well 
stocked, carrying the Lincoln ewes and lambs, and in one field 
