tlS Agricultural IftieUigence-^ England. Feb. 



by all. When a poor man could fcrape together enough to build a 

 cot, there he fat down ; and, by enclofmg a frefh piece of garden every 

 year, many have come to farms of confiderable extent. It was be- 

 come a plantation of cottagers, u'hofe dependence for a living, was 

 on keeping two or three fmall horfes to carry coal or iron, and they 

 were fo numerous, that they flarved each other. About twenty-four 

 years ago, the neighbouring gentlemen put a flop to their further in- 

 creafe, by drawing^ down all new encroachments ; and, two years back, 

 in confequence of the a6l of Parliament already mentioned, a certain 

 proportion was fold to pay for furveying, making new roads, &c. &c. ; 

 another part, to the amount of near 300 acres, was allotted to the town 

 of Cardiff, with liberty to improve or fell ; a third portion was for 

 the lord of the manor ; and what remained, was divided amongft the 

 Br'^fihersy or thofe vvhofe cftates joined the commons, in proportion 

 to the extent of their eftates. The portion fold, was divided into fmall 

 lots, which brought, fome ten, and fome as high as eighteen pounds 

 the acre. Every obftacle being thus removed, about the beginning of 

 January i8c2, they began to enclofe with ditch and hedge ; and by the 

 middle of May, the whole wa« enclofed, except that part fet afide for 

 the town of Cardiff, and about fifty acres allotted to a gentleman, whofe 

 tenant claimed the privilege during his leafe, he having rented his farm 

 , wilh a right of common. As it fell to many hands, the enclofures vary 

 much in fize, from half an acre to forty acres. The foil, though of two 

 different kinds, does not vary a great deal, being principally of a hard gra- 

 vel at bottom, with a depth of a foot or m.ore of black light earth, cov- 

 ered with fmall furze (or whins) on the furface where dry ; the lefl of a 

 boggy nature, with a hard fharp gravel at bottom ; and the furface, a black 

 light peat earth, through the middle of which tliey made a main drain 

 of nirie feet wide, and fix feet deep, which drain was done by the com- 

 miflioners, and has carried off the water effectually. There have been 

 various methods of improving praftifed ; and in fpring and fummer 

 l£c2, they puflied forward with great fpiiit ; feveral fields vvtre, that 

 vear, ploughed and fown with oats ; others dug with fpades and plant- 

 ed with potatoes ; others fown with turnips, and ore field of eight acres 

 pared with the Brefl plough and burnt, having a light liming given it. 

 The turnips were a fair crop where lime was applied, but where ner 

 gkftcd, they failed entirely. Potatoes, in molt inftances, proved good, 

 and the oats but poor. During that fumnier, paring and bnrnini;: weie 

 carried on with great fucccfs, the year proving favourable ; and by the 

 middle of October, there was above lOO pcre.s fown wilh wheat ; and 

 in the fpring, many fields of oats and barley, as alU^ of potatoes and 

 turnips. Wherever lime was given, the wheat was good, and the great- 

 er quantity of lime, the greater crop of wheat ; wheie no lime was 

 given, the wheat failed in every inftance ; one field of feven acrcp, fal- 

 lowed without paring and burning, and well limed, proved a fine crop ; 

 another piece of fix acres, fuppofed the befl on the heath, fallowed the 

 idu.e as the fcvenac*e piece, but not limed, proved not half a crop; 



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