MIGRATION OF FARMERS 321 



been so little touched by the cosmopolitan tendencies 

 of the age, which submerge all differences of class and 

 origin, that English, Welsh, and Flemish have remained 

 almost distinct nations, not speaking one another's 

 language, rarely intermarrying, and possessing a pro- 

 found mutual distrust. 



The farming of Little England is quite unlike that 

 of the rest of Wales ; there are many extensive estates, 

 and the farms are comparatively large, from 150 to 

 250 acres, the usual small holdings only prevailing in 

 the north and east of the county. Among the large 

 estates, however, there are a good many freeholds, and 

 everywhere landlords are beginning to sell and the 

 tenants to acquire their farms. There has also been a 

 considerable migration of the Welsh farmers from the 

 north of the county into this district ; and we were 

 told that though the immigrants flourish extremely 

 well on the large holdings at first, the third generation 

 generally goes under through drink and loses the 

 farm. Such generalizations are rarely to be trusted, 

 especially when one nation is speaking of another; 

 but our informant was ready enough with instances. 

 We visited one of the larger farms not far from the 

 river to the south of Haverfordwest. It was of an 

 exceptional size, running to 400 acres, and the soils 

 were generally light but very varied, because in this 

 part of the peninsula many formations succeed one 

 another within very small compass, narrow out-crops 

 of Carboniferous rocks and limestone being rapidly 

 exchanged for Old Red Sandstone, Silurian, and 

 patches of igneous origin. In the main, however, the 

 soils were of a sandy type derived from the Coal 

 Measures, which here give rise to a good arable soil, 

 though one that demands a constant and heavy 

 manuring. A large proportion of the farm was under 



