302 
Farm  Prize  Competition,  1909. 
put  to  the  bull,  so  as  to  come  in  as  milkers  in  October  and 
November,  when  they  are  sold. 
The  bullocks  are  purchased  in  the  autumn,  wintered  in 
covered  yards,  with  4 lb.  cotton  cake,  cut  straw,  and  roots, 
and  sold  at  the  end  of  April  ; the  fattening  heifers  receive  from 
4 to  10  lb.  of  mixed  corn  and  cake  per  head  per  day. 
Most  of  the  cattle  are  thus  changed  twice  in  the  course 
of  the  year,  but  no  fixed  rule  is  adopted,  the  decision  being 
entirely  governed  by  price  and  prospects. 
Sheep. — Ninety  Kerry  Hill  ewes,  twenty-eight  wethers,  four 
Hampshire  rams,  and  116  lambs  are  kept.  From  80  to  100 
Kerry  Hill  ewes  are  bought  each  year  and  crossed  with  Hamp- 
shire ram  lambs.  Some  of  the  produce  are  sold  as  fat 
lambs  during  May  and  June.  The  remainder  have  a small 
allowance  of  cotton  cake  after  weaning.  They  go  on  to 
turnips  in  October,  and  finally  are  finished  for  sale  on  swedes 
from  February  onwards,  having  up  to  1 lb.  per  head  of  mixed 
corn  and  cake.  Ewes  are  bought  in  afresh  each  year  and  the 
old  ones  sold  away  in  the  autumn  for  breeding  elsewhere. 
Pigs. — Four  sows  of  the  Large  White  Breed  are  kept  for 
breeding  purposes.  The  young  pigs  are  sold  as  stores  or  as 
porkers,  according  to  the  advantage  to  be  gained  from  current 
market  prices. 
The  whole  of  the  hay  and  straw  produced  is  consumed  at 
home,  and  the  farmyard  manure  thus  made  is  supplemented 
by  150  to  200  tons  of  stable  manure  from  Tenbury.  In 
addition,  artificial  manures  cost  260/.,  and  purchased  foods 
120/.  to  180/.  per  annum. 
Labour,  exclusive  of  hop-picking,  amounts  to  600/.  per 
annum.  Cider  is  sold  to  the  men  at  Ad.  per  gallon.  No 
free  drink  is  given. 
The  land  was  well  cultivated,  very  clean,  and  carrying 
very  good  crops — a most  perfectly  managed  farm  as  regards 
general  husbandry  and  economy.  Stock  good  and  suitable  ; 
hedges  kept  in  good  order  ; orchards  good  ; pastures  well 
grazed  ; hops  done  well  and  system  of  washing  good,  water 
being  laid  on  to  the  yards  where  the  wash  is  mixed  ; accounts 
well  kept  and  very  satisfactory  describe  the  management. 
The  Second  Prize  Farm  in  Class  I. — held  by  Mr.  Harry 
Butler,  at  Badminton,  on  yearly  tenancy  under  the  Duke  of 
Beaufort — consists  of  390  acres  arable  land  and  337  acres  of 
grass.  It  is  situated  at  the  south  end  of  the  Cotswolds,  at  an 
altitude  of  about  500  ft.  The  farm — both  arable  and  pasture — 
is  half  on  clay  soils,  and  half  on  thin  brash  on  an  oolite  subsoil 
which  is  very  variable.  Season  has  much  to  do  with  the 
routine  of  cropping.  On  the  clay  lands  vetches,  rape,  and 
early  turnips  are  grown  to  be  fed  off  by  sheep  during  the 
