308 STOCK-RAISING IN MONMOUTHSHIRE 



the fact that limestone occurs in the county at no great 

 distance, we could not hear that liming was at all a 

 common practice amongst the farmers of this generation. 



Another item usual upon Monmouthshire farms is 

 an orchard of cider trees, cider-making being one of 

 the regular sources of income. With the help of the 

 county council on one of the fields of this farm a new 

 demonstration orchard had recently been planted, 

 containing trees of four selected varieties which are 

 known not only to do well in the district but also to 

 yield fruit that will blend together to produce a good 

 flavoured cider ; for there are many kinds of cider 

 apples that are excellent when blended with other 

 appropriate varieties, but give rise to a very poor 

 liquor when fermented by themselves. The Fruit and 

 Cider Institute provides the trees gratis as one return 

 for the county's contribution, the tenant plants the 

 trees under supervision, and undertakes to cultivate 

 them properly. 



The stock upon the farm consisted almost entirely 

 of Herefords, with a few crossbreeds for milking 

 purposes. On the second-class lands the Hereford 

 is said to answer better than the Shorthorn " a Here- 

 ford will thrive where a Shorthorn will starve." It 

 is thus essentially a poor man's cow ; and though it 

 has no repute for milking purposes, its supporters 

 always maintain that, if properly handled, both the 

 Hereford and its crosses yield at least an average 

 amount of milk. Farmers, however, all too rarely 

 keep any record of the amount of milk yielded by 

 individual cows during their lactation period ; in 

 consequence we have very little real knowledge as 

 to the milk-producing powers of several of these 

 breeds which are usually valued solely for beef 

 purposes, but are used in their own district, especially 



