Farm  Prize  Competition,  1909. 
291 
Mr.  Hawkins  had  the  pleasure  of  winning  First  Prize  in  the 
“ Royal  ” Competition  in  1884,  so  that  his  present  success  is  all 
the  more  remarkable  and  gratifying,  he  having  accomplished 
what  few  can  hope  to  do — having  secured  two  First  Prize 
“ Royal  ” Farm  Competition  successes — and  having  maintained 
his  position  throughout  a period  of  twenty-five  years. 
Class  VI. — First  Prize  Farm. 
Occupied  hy  Mr.  George  Brooke,  Severn  Stoke. 
This  farm  comprises  about  135  acres,  made  up  of  64  acres 
arable,  56  grass,  7 pasture  orchards,  and  4 acres  fruit,  with 
house,  buildings,  &c. 
It  is  held  on  a yearly  tenancy,  under  the  Earl  of 
Coventry,  and  has  been  in  Mr.  Brooke’s  occupation  for 
fourteen  years.  He  has,  however,  lived  on  it  nearly  all  his 
life,  having  been  with  an  uncle  who  farmed  the  land  from 
1836  to  1895. 
The  fields  lie  nicely  together,  with  the  exception  of  25  acres 
of  meadow  land  by  the  Severn,  nearly  a mile  away.  The  soil 
is  light  loam  with  gravel  subsoil.  The  tenant  is  not  bound  by 
agreement  to  any  form  of  cropping,  and  generally  works  on 
the  following  rotation  : — 
Wheat 
I 
Mangold,  or  Peas,  followed  by 
\ I 
\ Kale  or  Turnips 
Oats 
Barley 
i 
“ Seeds  ” 
Wheat. 
Latterly  very  little  wheat  has  been  sown,  oats  having  been 
grown  instead.  Oats  have  also,  to  a slight  extent,  replaced  the 
barley,  thus  becoming  the  principal  crop.  It  is,  however, 
intended  to  return  to  the  original  system,  now  that  wheat  and 
barley  make  a better  price.  Crops  this  year  comprise  : wheat, 
3 acres  ; oats,  23  acres  ; barley,  8 acres  ; peas,  10  acres  ; seeds, 
9 acres  ; mangold,  10  acres. 
Root  Crop. — Mangolds  form  the  principal  root  crop,  the 
land  being  subject  to  “ Finger-and-Toe  ” in  turnips.  The  land 
