316 
Farm Prize Competition , 1913. 
Somersetshire and Dorsetshire. 
In the class for large farms in the two counties, the first 
prize was awarded to Mr. Percy Cave Tory, of Shapwick, 
Blandford, Dorset. The principal homestead lies in a pleasant 
valley below the downs, about six miles south-east of Blandford. 
The house and garden are very attractive, though the buildings 
at the home yard are on the whole only fairly convenient. The 
cow-sheds are beautifully airy, but would be improved with 
stall- divisions, and with better floors ; the absence of gutters 
makes it impossible to keep the cows’ udders clean. The farms 
are very extensive, amounting to some 1,549 acres, which in- 
cludes a farm of 685 acres, some nine miles from Shapwick, and 
also down land of some 90 acres. The Shapwick land is some- 
what less than half grass and consists of a very light loam, 
overlying the chalk, which comes very near the surface at the 
top of the farm. A five-field system of cropping is practised 
for the most part, with a two-year clover ley. In 1913 the 
cropping was : — 
137 j acres roots (Mangolds, 16 acres ; Swedes. 56 acres ; Turnips, 
62 acres ; Cabbage, 3£ acres). 
170 ,, oats. 
34 ., barley. 
87 ,, clover (for hay). 
59 „ wheat. 
The remainder of the arable land was in sainfoin and catch- 
ci ops. The fallow crops were clean considering the amount of 
catch-cropping practised, and a crop of swedes and kale was 
coming lemarkably well after winter vetches considering how 
little moisture there appeared to be in this thin soil. The land 
had been broken up by five teams of horses, working three 
abreast in double-furrow ploughs ; in two days they ploughed 
acres, with a roller following behind, and on the third day, 
two sets of harrows and a four-horse manure and seed drill got 
in the swedes and kale, in the proportion of four rows of swedes 
to one of kale. A ring-roll following up completed the work. 
. k° me of the vetches still being folded were rather full of 
thistles, and the mangolds were a failure owing to the drought. 
The corn crops, particularly the wheat and oats, were very fine 
for the year. Mr. Tory’s management of his seed land shows 
much skill. On the top of the hill he sows an ordinary mixture 
to which is added a bushel of common sainfoin, and this often 
gets him a good sainfoin ley without the expense of cleaning 
the land. There was also a beautiful aftermath (in Julv) of * 
giant sainfoin and rye-grass on this part of the farm, where the 
rotation is turnips followed by oats, followed by sainfoin, and 
then oats again ; this land can only be cropped at all by constant 
sheepmg and long leys, and the Judges comment on the tenant’s 
