580 
The Farm Prize Com/petition of 1892. 
Class III, — Fmsx Phize Farm, 
Occupied hy Mr. Lewis Willday, Dunton, Minworth, Birmingham. 
The First Prize in the Third Class was awarded by the Judges 
to Mr, L, Willday, who holds his farm on a yearly tenancy from 
Lord Leigh, Its size is 141 acres, 57 being grass and 84 arable ; 
the soil is a poor thin gravel. The tenant and his forefathers 
have occupied this farm since the beginning of the seventeenth 
century, and have account-books in their possession going back 
to that date. The buildings are exceptionally good and con- 
venient. 
The Birmingham and Fazely Canal runs through the farm, 
and by its means large quantities of manure are brought from 
Birmingham, and delivered at the farm at 6cZ, a ton. At the 
time of our visit about 750 tons of this refuse was lying in one 
heap, waiting to be carted on the land as time permitted. This 
was to be covered with 50 tons of “ jian ” manure at a cost of 3Z, 
Four working Horses are kept, and a foal or two generally 
bred every year. They are a useful lot of young horses. 
Thirty-eight Cattle are maintained : five milking cows, nine- 
teen one-and-a-half-year-old steers and heifers, and fourteen 
calves. These are all Shorthorns, bred or bought in as calves, 
and reared on the farm. Nine two-year-olds had been sold since 
our first visit at 12Z, each, and three calves had been bought 
and three bred. These were a very nice lot. 
Sheep. — Twenty-nine ewes in-lamb, a cross between Oxford 
and Shropshire, were very big and of a nice character. Of forty- 
four tegs, ten had been sold (five clipped and five in the wool), 
averaging 61s, each — a good lot of sheep, as the price will testify. 
Twenty-seven of the ewes had lambed down forty-eight lambs, 
one ewe having lost her lamb, and another being barren. 
These, at our second visit, were with the thirty-four tegs, and 
were having lib, of cake, and were ready for sale at any time. In 
fact, we were of opinion that they were getting almost too good 
for the hot weather. 
No Pigs are bred, but several are bought and fed out as 
porkers, 
A stack or two of wheat straw is generally sold off this farm, 
and makes from 21. to SI. per ton, costing 2s, per ton binding, 
and 12s. for carriage. The straw is not wanted for manurial 
purposes, on account of the large quantity of Birmingham refuse 
that is available. 
The Wheat, like most of that seen in other occupations, was 
a little thin in places. It has been top dressed with some 5 
