Farm  Prize  Competition,  1909.  283 
Horses. — Mr.  Dudfield  is  a breeder  of  Shire  horses,  and  acts 
as  secretary  to  the  local  Shire  Horse  Society.  Six  or  eight 
mares  are  put  to  the  horse  each  year,  and  the  geldings  sold  at 
five  years  old.  There  are  twenty  horses  and  colts  about  the 
farm,  and  they  are  an  exceptionally  good  lot. 
Cattle. — These  consist  of  purchased  heifers  of  a very  good 
class,  about  200  being  run  round  the  farm  in  the  course  of  a 
year.  Good,  strong  cross-breds,  from  two  to  three  years  old, 
are  purchased,  and  finished  off  with  cake,  which  will  vary 
in  quantity  from  3 to  6 lb.  per  head.  The  cakes  used  are  cotton, 
linseed,  and  Bibby’s  compound,  and  the  length  of  time  the 
heifers  remain  on  the  farm  depends  entirely  upon  the  supply 
of  grass  and  the  state  of  the  trade.  As  a rule,  100  heifers  are 
bought  in  the  autumn  and  100  in  the  spring  or  summer.  The 
cattle  were  very  good  butchers’  beasts,  both  for  weight  and 
quality.  Any  heifers  that  turn  out  in-calf,  that  are  of  good 
size  and  show  promise  of  being  good  milkers  are  sold  in 
the  spring  ; the  rest  are  calved,  and  the  calves  fed  and  sold 
to  the  butcher,  and  the  heifers  grazed  for  early  beef  in  the 
following  year. 
Sheep. — The  system  here  is  to  keep  170  breeding  ewes  and 
sell  the  lambs  as  stores  early  in  August.  The  ewes  were 
originally  Romney  Marsh  and  crossed  with  the  Hampshire 
ram,  but  Mr.  Dudfield  is  now  working  back  to  the  Oxford- 
Hampshire  cross.  A few  of  the  best  ewe  lambs  are  retained 
for  the  flock,  but  most  are  sold  early  in  August  to  make 
room  for  the  heifers.  The  ewes  and  lambs  are  given  mangold 
and  Townsend’s  sheep  food. 
Pigs. — One  Black  boar  and  five  sows  of  the  Large  White 
Breed  are  kept  for  breeding  purposes,  and  the  young  pigs  sold 
off  as  soon  as  they  will  make  20s.  each,  except  a few,  which 
are  fed  up  for  bacon  for  the  house  and  cottages. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  poultry  are  kept  to  pick 
up  loose  corn  and  otherwise  earn  their  living. 
The  landlord  supplies  drain  pipes,  posts  and  rails,  timber 
for  gates,  and  stone  for  roads.  The  tenant  lays  the  drains, 
erects  fences,  makes  the  gates,  and  hauls  the  road  material. 
Mr.  Dudfield’s  gates  were  very  good,  and  his  system  of 
double  gates  for  windy  and  exposed  positions  is  quite  ingenious. 
The  double  gate  is  most  useful  where  a bridle-road  goes 
through  a corn-field  with  a pasture-field  adjoining. 
Labour  in  this  district  runs  from  13s.  to  15s.  per  week, 
with  cottage  and  extras.  Mr.  Dudfield’s  labour  bill  is  about 
350/.  per  annum.  Fifty  tons  of  cake  and  meal  are  purchased 
annually  for  the  cattle,  sheep,  &c. 
The  Judges  were  given  to  understand  that  this  farm  was 
in  a very  bad  state  when  entered  upon  by  Mr.  Dudfield  thirty 
