308 
Farm  Prize  Competition,  1909. 
arable  land  requires  constant  manuring.  The  management 
here  is  good,  and  evidently  successful.  The  cultivations  are 
good  and  the  land  clean.  Crops  good,  and  pastures  well  done. 
Stock  good  and  suitable. 
This  farm  adjoins  that  of  Mr.  Francis  Hawkins  at  Sugwas, 
to  which  it  was  placed  second  in  Class  V.  The  competition  in 
this  class  was  very  keen  indeed,  and  Mr.  Andrews’  farm  was  a 
very  good  second.  The  land  and  system  of  farming  is  so 
similar  to  that  of  the  adjoining  farm  of  Mr.  Hawkins,  that 
further  description  is  unnecessary. 
Great  Buckmans  Farm,  Malvern,  occupied  by  Mr.  Walter 
Meek,  consists  of  63  acres  arable  and  108  acres  grass.  The 
soil  is  a strong  clay.  The  principal  crops  grown  are  wheat, 
beans,  oats,  clover,  peas,  roots.  Red  clover  is  sown  under 
wheat  once  in  seven  years,  followed  by  oats,  then  roots. 
Dairying  is  the  chief  feature,  milk  selling  well  in  this 
district.  Nearly  all  the  produce  is  consumed  at  home,  and 
in  addition  about  50Z.  of  purchased  foods  annually.  The 
cultivations  and  crops  were  very  good,  and  the  general 
management  good. 
Dormington  Court  Farm,  near  Hereford,  occupied  by 
Mr.  George  H.  Bray,  consists  of  22  acres  arable,  49  grass, 
9 fruit,  and  75  hops.  The  soil  is  a loamy  clay,  with  stiff  clay 
subsoil.  Hop  growing  is  the  chief  feature  here,  and  splendidly 
it  is  carried  out.  Consideration  for  space  precludes  any 
detailed  description,  but  a few  points  must  be  mentioned. 
The  finest  qualities  of  hop  only  are  grown.  The  hop  yards 
are  measured  in  thirds.  That  is  to  say,  each  winter  one- 
third  is  dressed  with  ten  tons  per  acre  farmyard  manure, 
another  with  two  tons  shoddy  per  acre,  and  the  remaining  third 
with  six  cwts.  bone  meal  per  acre.  The  farmyard  manure, 
shoddy,  and  bone  meal  are  applied  to  different  portions 
in  turn.  In  addition  to  the  above,  the  whole  of  the  hop  land 
receives  two  cwts.  per  acre  of  Damaraland  guano.  The  labour 
bill  on  this  farm  last  year  amounted  to  597?.  for  regular  labour 
and  933?.  for  hop-picking  labour,  or  a total  of  1,530?.  on  a 
farm  of  150  acres.  Surely  these  figures  must  emphasise  the 
national  value  of  this  branch  of  agriculture. 
This  farm  is  well  done  throughout,  the  hop  yards 
particularly  so.  The  two  modern  hop-drying  kilns,  erected  at 
the  tenant’s  own  expense,  are  very  good,  and  in  keeping  with 
his  general  endeavour  to  produce  only  that  which  is  of  the 
best.  The  growing  hops  looked  very  well  indeed,  and  the 
land  was  thoroughly  clean. 
The  competition  in  this  class  (VII.)  was  excellent,  and 
by  far  the  best  met  with.  It  required  a careful  consideration 
of  points  to  enable  the  Judges  to  place  the  three  competitors 
