313 
Farm Prize Competition f 1913. 
rest of the stock they reflect the skill of the breeder, and are a 
beautifully level lot. The tegs go on to vetches, kale and 
swedes, with cake and dried grains, and go out fat during the 
winter. A considerable number of pigs are kept, and once 
more the large black is the variety preferred. The sows are all 
pure bred. Two boars, eight sows in farrow, and twenty-two 
pigs nearly fat were shown to the Judges on the occasion of 
their first visit. The boar in service was a good specimen of 
the breed, and the fat pigs are sold to a local bacon factory. 
Mr., Matthews is a man of many activities. In addition to 
his farming he keeps two sets of machinery, and does most of 
the threshing in his neighbourhood. He also finds time for 
much public work, and is a member of the County Council 
and other local administrative bodies. The Judges had no 
difficulty in awarding him the premier position in this class. 
Mr. William McEwen-Smith, of Westmoreland Farm, 
Henbury, Bristol, received second prize in this class. The 
farm adjoins the beautiful little village of Henbury, which 
is distant some three miles north from the Showyard on 
Durdham Downs, and about the same distance east of Avon- 
mouth. The farm is 158 acres in extent, comprising 132 acres 
pasture, 23 acres arable and 3 acres orchard. The house and 
buildings are very neat, compact, and useful ; a first-rate shed 
for calves, bull, &c., has been made out of the old barn. These 
places when converted for the use of livestock are too often 
ill-lighted and ill-drained, but neither of these defects were 
noted in this case. The cow-house, however, suffers from the 
same defects noted on a previous holding, in that the floor is 
not so constructed that the udders of the cows are kept from 
contact with the dung. The holding has recently been equipped 
with a first-rate Dutch barn, and on the. occasion of a visit 
(July) hay waggons were being unloaded into it with the aid 
of a travelling fork in the roof, operated by a horse. This 
device undoubtedly effected a saving of trouble to the men, 
but the advantage to the farmer cannot be considerable. 
The soil shows considerable variations, being strongish clay 
in some parts, whilst in others the subsoil rock came to the 
surface, suggesting the reflection that it cannot be wise always 
to let the young ploughman learn to plough with wheels, seeing 
that here is obviously a place for a swing plough. The course 
of cropping pursued is a four-course, modified to suit the farm, 
and the crops in 1913 were : — 
5 acres roots (mangolds 2£, kohl rabi 1, cabbage f , potatoes f). 
9 ,, wheat. 
4 „ beans. 
4^ ,, oats. 
The oats were sown with clover seeds. 
