310 
Farm Prize Competition , 1913. 
milk seller. The cows were being run over the seeds ley for 
a short time each day, which seemed a good practice, and they 
were getting about 7 lb. bran. In the autumn this would be 
increased by a fair allowance of cabbage, swedes, and hay. It 
is Mr. Bridgman’s practice to buy heifers of the right stamp, 
and at the right price, and to bull them. The best of them go 
ultimately into the dairy, whilst those that do not turn out to 
be good milkers are not too dear as feeding cattle. Whilst an 
excellent system, and one well calculated to make the most 
of the land, it no doubt accounts to some extent for the un- 
evenness in the cows to which reference has been made. 
The home-bred two-year-old heifers were a beautiful lot, 
obviously “ general utility ” of the best type ; they were the 
single crop of calves got for Mr. Bridgman by a particular 
bull, and it is most unfortunate that this sire’s breeding is 
unknown, for he obviously nicks in with the blood in the herd 
at Cleeve Hill. 
Mr. Bridgman showed the Judges an excellent two-year-old 
, Shorthorn bull, and it seemed the greatest pity again that there 
was no record of his breeding. There was also a nice yearling 
bull, but he seemed to lack some of the depth and quality of 
the older one. 
Ihe steers are most of them purchased and some eighty are 
got off fat during the year. Mr. Bridgman studies the markets 
and during last winter he fed principally maize and bran as 
being the cheapest foods at the time. The calves get very little 
milk and are brought up mostly on oatmeal. 
Coming to the sheep, Mr. Bridgman keeps a Hampshire 
flock and buys in about 140 ewes each year. A_n Oxford tup is 
used on them and some of the lambs, which fall in February, 
aie ready for the butcher by July. The best of them are kept 
for sale as ram-lambs, and the tenant states that there is a very 
ready sale for them, particularly amongst the hill flock-masters 
of Wales, &c., who put them on the old ewes and feed out lamb 
and ewe together. The ram-lambs shown to the Judges were 
quite a distinct type, with Hampshire heads and Oxford fleeces, 
but why there should be this preference for them is certainly a 
question to which breeders of pure-bred stock should devote 
themselves. I he Hampshire ewes were a grand lot and some 
were being got ready for exhibition. Mr. Bridgman complained 
that in spite of constant attention they suffered a good deal 
from foot-rot. On the occasion of the final visit, the ram-lambs 
were separated from the wethers and ewes. The former were 
on a field of tares and rape and the latter were on the seeds 
and also cleaning up behind the rams. The fat lambs were 
also on tares and rape, which seems to be a very good mixture 
though not commonly met. Those ready for the butcher 
