"tft04. Agricuhttral Intelligence-- England, W) 



Letter from a Fanner In J Vales ^ jf^'^''^' ^S* 



* The winter here fet in early, and In Novenr^bcr^ we experienced 

 about ten days feverc froft ; we then hr.d every reafon to drea ' a long 

 and hard winter, and began foddering our cattle three weeks fooner 

 than in ordinary years ; and, although we had reafon to thiiik, after 

 harveft, that there would be abundance of good winter provifion for 

 *»ur flock, v/e now fee, thr-vt if we have an untoward fpring, many will 

 be fhort. The weather, of late, has been open and mild, witl- heavy 

 rains and great floods. Wheat in the ground has a good appearance, 

 but ploughing feems to be behuid in nnoft places., the land being too 

 ivet. Tue Tneep, as far as 1 have feen, look poor and unhealruy ; and 

 where they have begun to drop their lanabs, the ewes are thought 

 to have little milk, and the lambs weak. Our markets for corn are 

 fully fupplied, and prices on the drop. Wheat and barley have not 

 varied much of late; but oats have lowered ^s. per quarter within this 

 lall fortnight ; the befl: oats, yetlerday, were not worth more than 19s. 

 the quarter. Butcher meat, vis. beef, mutton, and veal, has advanced 

 {i,nce Chrillmas, and it ^s thought will foon be as dear as ever ; good 

 Beef or Mutton, is now at 8d. per lib. ; Pig meat cheap ; Bacor. whole, 

 viz. head, feet, Sfc. at ^A. and ^'-^^d. per pound, fome of the largeffc 

 tizt at 4|d. Owing to the low price of barley, and the vaft number 

 of (lore pigs on hand, there Is more pig meat at market than ever be- 

 fore remembered, which has been a lucky circun:\ftance for the lower 

 clafs, as burter and cheefe are at very high prices ; frefh butter is is. 4d., 

 and good cheefe lod. and iid. per lib. At St Nicolas Fair, the 17th 

 ■cf December, oxen (contrary to expe(M:atIon) fold well, and I believe few 

 or none reiiirned home, and cattle ot every defcription were dearer. 

 Sheep ftill keep dull, and will do fo, till we have a demand from the 

 eaft: we like to fee them go eaftward In great droves. iWutton has been 

 in great plenty at market for fome months paft, and would have cer- 

 tainly been at a very low prlc«?, had it not been for the high wages 

 given to tradcfmen and labourers, v.'hich enables them to live on the 

 beft of every thltig ; and very iew of the labouring men here, ever 

 think of laying up a fiiilllng fwr a rainy day, but one and all truil to 

 {he parKh for that. 



* 1 mentioned in a former letter the encloHng of Cardiff heath ; but 

 as the bulinefs was only then in Its inhu;cy, I declined faying much on 

 tlie diil'erent modes of procetdiiig, till 1 faw the crops produced. In 

 the year 1801, an aft of Parliaiuent palled for dividing and enclofing 

 this common, containing from eleven to twelve hundred acre?, lying to 

 the north of the town of Cardiff, and about a mile dillant therefrom. 

 This vvafle originally was the property of the bur^^h of Cardiff; but, 

 by negligently fuftering every one to graze it, they lott this right in 

 a great meafure, and it b^-^came free to ad the c mntry. it was once 

 fitf much greater extent ; bat b^^'ng no one's property, It was icized on 



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