310 STOCK-RAISING IN MONMOUTHSHIRE 



sold for stock purposes, but the chief output of the 

 farm was forward stores and down-calving heifers. 

 He also bred some good horses, and looked to have 

 three or four colts running about each year. Sheep 

 formed a more prominent feature of the farming than 

 was usual in the district ; the stock consisted of 

 Hampshires and crossbreds of Ryelands with a Down 

 ram. The Ryelands are one of the oldest breeds of 

 English sheep, doubtless an early segregation from 

 the short-woolled sheep of the hills countries, but they 

 are unlike the Shropshires and Southdowns in being 

 white in the face. They are famous for the fineness 

 of their fleece, and perhaps because of their distinct- 

 ness produce very rapidly-growing first-cross lambs, 

 but are, however, little known outside their own 

 country the red uplands of Hereford. 



This farm carried an excellent cider orchard, clean 

 and well managed, and, as we tested for ourselves, 

 produced an unusually good vintage of cider. No 

 cottages were attached to the farm, and accommoda- 

 tion for labourers was scarce in the district. 



Farther down the valley, where it widens out and 

 includes a wider tract of level alluvial soil, we visited 

 another farm of exceptional size for the country, about 

 300 acres over all, from one-quarter to one-third being 

 under crop. The soil was light and easily worked, 

 drying out somewhat readily in seasons like that of 

 1911, but permitting of the successful growth of 

 barley, and benefited by folding with sheep. It 

 carried good potato and corn crops as well as the 

 promise of an excellent breadth of roots, and, as the 

 main business of the farm was with stock, most of 

 the produce was consumed on the holding. Two 

 flocks were kept, one of the Clun Forest breed, light, 

 short-woolled sheep from the Welsh marshes, which 



