278  Farm  Prize  Competition,  1909. 
conducted  on  up-to-date  principles  in  a business-like  manner. 
It  says  much  for  Mr.  Waters’  thoi’oughness  that  the  Judges 
failed  to  find  twitch  or  charlock. 
The  Judges  had  no  hesitation  in  awarding  to  Mr.  Waters 
the  first  prize  of  lOOi.  in  Class  1. 
Class  II. — First  Prize  Farm. 
Occupied  by  Mr.  William  Matthews,  Wick-Wick, 
Winterbourne,  Bristol. 
This  farm  belongs  to  W.  B.  Wilberforce,  Esq.  and  Dr. 
Basil  Harwood,  and  consists  of  148  acres  arable  and  73  grass. 
The  soil  on  the  lower  portion  is  clay,  with  a little  marl  and 
loam,  on  the  higher  land  it  is  stone-brash.  The  rotation  of 
cropping  is — 
Wheat  or  oats 
I 
Clover 
I 
Wheat 
I 
Roots  or  catch-cropping 
I 
Wheat  or  oats. 
Beans  are  sometimes  grown  and  follow  wheat.  Sainfoin  is 
grown  for  fodder  and  for  hay,  remaining  down  for  some 
years.  It  is  then  ploughed  in  and  followed  by  oats  unless 
“ foul,”  in  which  case  it  is  “ fallowed.”  Barley  follows  roots 
on  the  stone-brash.  The  catch  crops  are  selected  from  : 
(a)  Trifolium  sown  on  the  wheat  stubble  during  August  or 
early  September  for  spring  feed  for  sheep  ; (6)  stubble 
turnips  after  an  early  harvest — either  of  these  followed  by 
(c)  vetches,  (d)  rape,  or  (e)  kale,  all  folded  .on  the  land. 
Sometimes  turnips  are  taken  after  trifolium,  in  which  case 
the  land  goes  into  oats.  It  was  pointed  out  to  the  Judges 
that  on  light  soils  it  is  not  easy  to  grow  turnips  after  trifolium, 
because  the  latter  leaves  the  land  very  dry.  The  crops  this 
year  include  wheat,  50  acres  ; oats,  4 acres  ; beans,  5 acres  ; 
clover,  19  acres  ; vetches,  9 acres  ; mangolds,  7 acres  ; roots, 
10  acres  ; potatoes,  2 acres  ; sainfoin,  12  acres. 
The  clover  mixture  used  consists  of  9 lb.  broad  red  clover, 
3 lb.  alsike  clover,  2 lb.  trefoil,  and  ^ bushel  Italian  rye-grass 
per  acre.  The  seeds  are  rather  thin  and  poor.  The  tenant 
has  laid  down  all  the  73  acres  of  permanent  grass.  This 
is  on  the  solid  clay,  which  did  not  pay  under  the  plough. 
Only  35  acres,  however,  could  be  considered  by  the  Judges 
as  permanent,  the  other  38  having  been  so  recently  sown  as 
to  come  within  the  schedule  of  “ arable  ” land.  The  grass 
