276 CILMERY, SOUTH WALES 



SMALL HOLDINGS ON THE ESTATE 

 OF MR. S. M. BLIGH, CILMERY, 

 BUILTH WELLS. 



Mr. Bligh's estate in Brecknockshire is situated 

 at the villages of Cilmery (otherwise called Cefn-y- 

 bedd) and Llangammarch Wells, between Builth 

 and Llandovery. 



The land is on the Silurian formation, and is 

 500 feet above sea- level in the valleys, rising to 

 1,500 feet. The farming of the district, therefore, 

 is chiefly cattle-rearing, with sheep-runs on the 

 hills, and there is not much plough land. 



A large number of the farms are of that size on 

 which a man can make an entire living, with the 

 help of his family and without hired labour. But 

 they would only come under the category of small 

 holdings as regards rental, which runs from 20 to 

 30 a year, the acreage being from 100 to 150 

 acres, much of which would be merely sheep-run. 



Mr. Bligh is of opinion that in this district this is 

 the type of farm to avoid, and that farms under 

 30 do not pay the landlord, and afford a very poor 

 living for the tenant. His contention is that where 

 land is so poor that the profit yielded to a small 

 man without much capital is at its lowest, it is 

 impossible to get an economic return on the neces- 

 sary outlay on houses and buildings. This opinion, 

 which he holds very strongly, makes it all the more 

 interesting to see how he is enabled to get this 



