ENGLISH PRIZE FARMS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5255, 26 January 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

ENGLISH PRIZE FARMS.

For severalyears prist the Royal Agricultural Society of England has offered substantial prizes for the 'best 1 ' managed farms in the counties which-form the district in which the Show l , is held.'- 'Thlslseasort the t competitors have been divided iiit»-eight classes, viz., Ist, afable fafins'aboye ISO; 1 acres in extent2nd, arable faimSaborve :80. r -and’undbr 150 acres ; 3rd, farms abovo -iO land uiidef 80 acres ; 4th, dairy or ' meat-producing -farms above' 200 acres ; sth, do'.fßOti'leSS'-thhn. lOf) but under 200 acres’ -’dthj farms'of.’ibtiless than 50 but under 100 Slrires j clafces 7.arid 8, for farms in the Isle of“Mrin;lo VThe 'winner in class 1 is Mrs. 1 Ellen' -Birch; Netherton ■ Farm, Aintree, neari'Liverpbol:' i Aintreb is well known to the sporting world" as being the location of the Liverpool racecourse, n Netherton Farm, the property 'of Lord Seftori, -is .“situate" about one mile north-west from Aintree station, and consists of 242 acres, wholly arable.. The annual rent is about £5 I per acre.; ; The main road "from 1 Aintree passes the buildings, and divides the farm. • It is a ■ free soil, light. and easily worked, and naturally dry. The /farm, like 'the' surrounding 'district, -is flat-lying.; the fields' l average about-; I thirty-abresf and are bounded by'clean, well-kept hedges. A wellpiaved farm road, at right angles to the. main road,deads along a 1 lane'about a ; quarter of a mile to a canal which passes through tile estate, by which'aquaritityof town manure is brought to the farm. Asm matter-of course, the whole produce of the farm'goes to Liverpool; consequently the minimum‘quantity of stock is kept; -Four cows and l their; female ■ produce seem to constitute theherd. Ho sheep are kept, but a'number of brood sows of the short, eared breed bid fair: to furnish a-steady supply to the pork butchers. Besides • eight! horses, which work the farm, there is a rising generation of long-tails, which have 'all the looklof making powerful, big-boned; and'active animals! ; " The courseiof cropping; is' as follows I—lst, potatoes, after lea ; 2nd, wheat ; .' 3rd, barley or oals, sown with grass seeds ; 4th, hay:; sth, 'hay ; after, whifehithe lea is again broken out and planted with potatoes. -. -About one,acre of turnips is grpwri on ;the potnitoibreak, which look well, with the exception :of -a few plants here arid there pulled 1 , up - by the crows," iudi- ; eating grub! A large heron was hanging from a pole by the heels, in the centre of the turnips, .acting,as a scarecrow. . When it is stated that the .turnips were .sown with‘,a bottle, it will be readily believed that it" is .not a turnip-growing district., The potatoes, were looking simply splendid A few plants, here' and there were wanting, as is the. case nearly all over the , country this season ; but with that exception they were most luxuriant. ' Tlio regents, wo were told, would all go to Liverpool in about three weeks, arid Skerry blues are grown for later markets. I. The-whole of' the town and ;hoine-made, manure is applied to .the potato crop, and sometimes a little nitrate of soda additional' The wlieat following potatoes was a grand standing crop, fully out iri the ear. The barley, after wheat 'was a good level crop, with a grand plant of closer and grasses amongst it. The young plant is dressed in spring with about 2J- owt. of nitrate, of soda per acre, which is the only' artificial manure , used. Heavy crops of grass arid hay are grown, hut there was not p peculiarly bright, prospect for a second .cutting.. After the cuttings are over for the season, sheep are taken, in; to grass at 6d. pei[: week,; from tlie local ' salesmen, &c. r The grossest! and heaviest.crop 'of oats,'not to '.be laid, we ever.remember!seeing' was after a bean crop whi oh had been grown bri lea broken out. .after hay, and had yielded about sixty bushels'. per acre.; '.The oats are the yellow Poland, variety,. grown without topdressing ; the'yield.'would be difficult to compute at present. •■.'Batch-cropping, or more crops than one in a.season, excepting grass, irinotattenipted. Many of the fields are much disfigured by old marl pits) which are now' ugly .ponds- here and there,'but are said to abound with fish. With the exception of the. course of cropping and the paved private ro.rid, there is nothing particularly novel, of striking about the! holding. 1 It is simply a.farm,'where the minritiaf'aud.general .‘details of good 'husbandry are'"well carried out on a friable'soil,, withgood facilities; for getting Wariurri, ' The .results are' a really tidy holding, producing regular; Heavy, ' and' ferimrierativo 'crops. Fifteen ‘men and Lids' lafri, employed, ten of whom' ire Irishuien, living 1 in small detached 1 cottages ;.wages,lfis, per, week ; the remainder living’iri. cottages'rent 1 free, with 17Aper‘wsek.; With the exceptiori' of' ri very old-fashioned corn-dressing 'machine, and a steaming apparatus for cooking 1 food for pigs, .therels no "appearance of machinery about the buildings, not even a threshing machine, The implements for cultivation' are; however, 1 of tlie most. riioderri' 1 arid 1 approved ‘ order, and what are not in use are well painted and otherwise protected.' So little stock being kept; there 'is nothing 1 , about the buildings ''calling for special remark;'.except perhaps - ','the stable, which is • exceedingly, well appointed. The . stalls are quoted over with black ' varnish, and tlie harness, arid cart chains . would vie iu polish 1 with the carriage 'tufn-prit of any'nobleman, . The fatm'Has. been in'the .occupation of the present family fOr thirty-five' years,: and is held from year to year,/Lord Seftori refusing to grant a lease.;'. '‘ " '