1134 



STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part IV. 



loughs In the dhch, and old ploughs borrowed from the neigh- 

 bors at work : the master then thinking it useless to persevere, 

 gave up the contest. " I have," said he, " seen various kinds 

 of human beings, in ditferent parts of the globe, from latitude 

 ten to latitude fifty-four, but none so obstinately bent on old 

 practices as the Welsh." 



H. liCwis, Esq., of Gallt y Gog near Caermarthen, being 

 equally unsuccessful in effecting a" revolution at once, tried the 

 plan of altering the old ploughs in a slight degree, and hopes, by 

 one alteration after another, at length to transform them into 

 Rotheram ploughs " unawares to his sturdy ploughmen." 



Waggons and clumsy two and three horse carts a 



1 general 



gon. Single horse carts gain ground but slowly. They were 

 introduced into the vale of Towy, several years ago, by Lord 

 Robert Seymour ; into Cardiganshire, by Thomas Johnes,Esq.; 

 and into Brecknockshire, bv Sir Edward Hamilton. 



A hay rake, with the head forming unequal angles with the 

 handle's, is in use in Glamorganshire, the only advantage of 

 which is said to be that of not obliging the raker to step his 

 foot backward at every reach. 



4. Arable Land. 



In general wretchedly managed, especially the fallows. The 

 reporter proposes to send farmers' sons to improved districts to 

 serve apprenticeships, as better than examples set by strangers, 

 which nave been tried without success. A patriotic land pro- 

 prietor brought what were considered as enlightened farmers 

 from Scotland into South Wales; but as Hassal very judici- 

 ously observes, " New practices in husbandry will be most 

 likely to succeed through the medium of the natives of the 

 country. They have an unconquerable dislike to every thing 

 introduced hy strangers ; md not without some reason, as most 

 of the people who have come into this countir iirom the 

 English counties, and commenced farmers, were in bad circum- 

 stances at the outset, and therefore have not succeeded in their 

 undertakings ; and the natives, eager to reprobate any thing 

 new, readily attributed their failure to defective practice, rather 

 than to the real cause, want of capital. This observation will 

 be found to be generally true in every country. Few persons in 

 good circumstances can be tempted to migrate ; whilst others 

 of a different description are frequently under the necessity of 

 doing it ; and, generally, it can only tend to hasten their total 

 failure. Then the teaching of the natives, as recommended 

 above, would have a much superior effect in establishing the 

 doctrines of the new schools, than the introduction of any stran- 

 gers into the country. 



The sand banks checking the progress of the tides into a flat 

 tract in Glamorganshire, in order to render them more firm, 

 they are matted with the roots of the sea piat-weed (Arundo 

 arenaria.) The hon. T. Mansell Talbot, binds each of his te- 

 nants, who rents land in the adjoining marshes, to give yearly 

 the labor of a day or more, in proportion to his holdmg, as a 

 kind of statute duty, for the planting of this reed ; and experi- 

 ence has proved its good effects. 



5. Grass. 



" By a correct map of the rivers of a district, with a scale of 

 their fall in a given number of furlongs or miles, and of the 

 mountains from which they flow, and those distinguished by 

 kinds of " quality colors," a geologist might give a fair estimate 

 of the quality of the soils and grasses of the respective valleys 

 intersecting that district, though anomalies frequently form 

 exceptions in vallies as well as on sideland places. 



The practice of fogging pastures, almost peculiar to Cardi- 

 ganshire, has been already described (5255). Thereporter saw 

 a piece that had been fogged successively for sixteen years ; and 

 according to the tenant's information, was improving an- 

 nually. When land has been mowed too long, one year's fog- 

 fing is supposed to recover it. Mossy pastures are benefitted 

 y it. It replenishes the soil with seeds, that by this means are 

 suffered to ripen and shed on the ground ; and it is said that 

 two years fogging will recover lands, let them be ever so run 

 out by tillage or mowing. Cattle used to fog, will quit hay 

 that may be given them, and clear away the snow with their 

 feet to get at the fog. The fields proper to be kept in fog, must 

 be of a dry, sound, and close soil ; the argillaceous rather than 

 the siliceous earths should prevail in it : but not so much is 

 to be over retentive of water. 



The late Thomas Johnes, Esq., of Havod, observes, " Fog- 

 ging is getting out of repute: it must have originated in 

 chance, and want of a summer stock of cattle." 



Clover is grown in some few places for seed, which is separa- 

 ted from the heads in a common com mill, the upper mill- 

 stone being replaced for a time with a square piece of oak fur- 

 nished with eight wings studded with nails on their upper sur- 

 faces. These spokes, by their.rapid motion, soon beat out the 

 seed. 



6. Gardens. 



On the maritime coast of South Wales generally very pro- 

 ductive ; those of the cottagers better attended to than in other 

 parts of the district ; a pleasing mixture of flowers, small fruits, 

 and vegetables. 



Orchards in Radnorshire and Brecknockshire thrive well in 

 the vallies, but more especially in the v.des of Wye and Usk. 

 Not much cider made, excepting on the Wye. 



7. Woods and Plantations. 



" It appears from old deeds, that estates were formerly sold 

 at an inferior price, in consequence of their being crowded 

 with timber. Times are now changed." 



There are a great many oak woods and coppices in hilly 



parts of the district, and many thriving plantations in every 

 part of it. It is calculated that at an average six millions of 

 trees are annually planted ; if this he the fact, it is probable 

 nine tenths of them either die or are doomed to come to nothing, 

 for at this rate, in fift;y years, there would be 150 trees for every 

 acre in South Wales, which, added to the old wood and copse, 

 would give 300 trees, or enough to render the country one en- 

 tire forest. 



8. Improvements. 



Numerous inclosures have been made, and fencing, draining, 

 and, in some cases, watering practised as in other counties. 

 There are nearly 15,000 acres of fen and sands on the coast of 

 Cardiganshire, which are considered highly improvable, and 

 which it has been at different times in contemplation to em- 

 bank. Of one of the worst parts of this land, the late agricul- 

 turist Dr. Anderson, who was much with Johnes of Havod, 

 said he could make it carry wheat in five years. 



9. Live Stock. 



From ancient records itappears that the colors of Welsh cat- 

 tle were white, with red ears, like the wild breed at Chilling- 

 ham (6130.) ; they appear to have been in a wild state so late as 

 the time of king Jonn. The present stock are of four kinds : 

 the coal-blacks of Pembrokeshire; the brownish blacks, or 

 dark browns, of Glamorgan ; the black runts of Cardiganshire, 

 Caermarthenshire, and the western parts of the counties of Bre- 

 con and Radnor; introduced breetls, from Herefordshire and 

 Shropshire, into the eastern and more fertile parts of Brecon 

 and Radnor. 



Cows are kept for breeding, and making butter and skim-milk 

 cheese. Johnes has proved, that at Havod, cheese may be 

 made at will, so nearly resembling Parmesan, Stilton, Glouces- 

 ter, or Cheshire, that the difference cannot be perceived by 

 good judges ; and that the whole mystery consists in various 

 modes of producing it from the milk. 



The sheep of South Wales are of four kinds : mountaineers, 

 Glamorgan vale sheep, Glamorgzm Down sheep, and crossed 

 ' " "ireetls. 



in the several cotmties of the 



and intermixed 1 



Mountaineers occupy the 

 district. 



The Glamorgan vale sheep, is the only breed in Wales, not 

 introduced within memory of man, that produces combing 

 wool. 



The Glamorgan Down sheep is a beautiful and excellent 

 small breed. Feeding upon the oldest and sweetest pastures 

 of the limestone tract, tneir mutton is superior in quality to 

 most, and inferior to none ; their wool is of the short clothing 

 kind, and fine. They are fjenerally jwUed. 



With crossed and intermixed breeds many experiments have 

 been tried within the district, and most of them confessedly 

 without the expected success. Particular breeds of sheep have 

 their peculiar diseases, which continue in their constitution, 

 wherever they are removed. The limestone tract may be con- 

 sidered as the healthiest for sheep within the district, but even 

 there the imported modem breeds have brought with them 

 the scab, the foot -root, the goggles, maggots, and a long train 

 of diseases never heard of before in Wales : these are to be 

 ranked among the profits of commerce. 



Horses. The small Welsh merlins or palfreys are now in many 

 parts nearly extinct : they are a pigmy race, and may now and 

 then be found in the hilly walks of the interior of the district. 

 There were formerly a very good breed of hardy strong punches, 

 fit for riding and walking upon the farm, being a cross between 

 a good-sized horse and the small merlins; and very useful they 

 were ; but the breed has almost been totally neglected and 

 lost : for they cross now too much with the large and sluggish 

 cart horses. 



10. Political Economi/. 



Roads as in North Wales, or worse. Road ploughs in use ; 

 a characteristic both of their state and of the nature of the 

 materials. Good limestone however in the coal districts, and 

 especially in Glamorganshire. Manufactures of woollen in 

 many places; and, owing to the abundance of oak copses, 

 many hides tanned. Potteries on a large scale at Swansea, 

 Cardiff, and other places. Extensive iron and coal works, 

 lime works, and a slate quarry in Cardiganshire, &c. 



The Lias limestotie, (lime and iron combined, the stone of a 

 blueish or greyish color,) though found in many parts of Eng- 

 land, is no where so valuable as that at Aberthaw. When 

 burnt into lime, it is of a buff color, the characteristic, accord- 

 ing to the engineer, Smeaton, of all limes setting in water. 

 Lias limestone in all parts has a peculiarity of stratification 

 and exterior character, so that a rock of it may be known at a 

 distance. The strata are of various thickness, from a few 

 inches to a few teet ; and those commonly sejjarated by a few 

 inches thickness of marley clay. The ferruginous ingredient 

 seems to be concentrated in the' interior part of each stratum ; 

 the outer sides thereof being more porous, and of a paler 

 color. In inland places the strata are burnt altogether, the 

 argillaceous as well as the ferruginous'calcite. Here, at Aber- 

 thaw, or other maritime coasts, the strata tumbled down, 

 within reach of the tides, are broken and rolled about, until 

 they are reduced to rounded pebbles or nodules, from a few 

 ounces to many pounds weight ; and these consist only of the 

 nucleus or kernel part, the more useless shell being worn ofT 

 by the abration of the furious tides. These rounded lias peb- 

 bles are driven on shore in inexhaustible quantities. 



Of agricultural societies there are several: that of Brecon, 

 instituted in 1755, the earliest in Britain after that of Edin- 

 burgh. 



Sect. III. AgricvZtural Survey of Scotland. 



7046. The surface of this country is estimated at 1 8,944,000 acres, in three natural divi- 

 sions. The first lies north of the chain of Highland lakes, which stretches from Murray to 

 Mull, and consists of little else than dreary mountains and some moors ; the second, or 

 middle division, extends from this chain of lakes to the rivers Forth and Clyde ; it is 

 mountainous, but cultivated in the vallies, and on the eastern shore to a considerable ex- 

 tent ; the remaining division is covered by hills with some mountains, but every where 



