BARLEY V. OATS 327 



standard of farming. Indeed it is doubtful if low 

 prices and bad times ever make for improvement : in 

 such circumstances the farmer sits tight and reduces 

 what may already be an insufficient expenditure on 

 the land ; only when there is already a margin of 

 prosperity is he encouraged to risk a little outlay on 

 innovations. 



From Cardigan we took the long road which runs 

 parallel to the coast, but a mile or two inland ; the 

 elevation is considerable and the country open, so that 

 from time to time we had wide views over the great 

 sweep of Cardigan Bay, blue and smiling, under a 

 happier sky than hitherto. From Cardigan to Aber- 

 aeron the farms appeared of a fair size, one-sixth to 

 one-eighth in crop, with an unexpected proportion of 

 the corn land allotted to barley. The equable climate 

 and the proximity to the sea enables the barley to 

 grow well even at considerable elevations ; but consider- 

 ing that all the corn is grown for consumption it was 

 not evident why barley was preferred to oats, which 

 may generally be expected to yield a greater weight 

 of food per acre as well as more valuable straw. 

 Several men whom we asked claimed, however, to get 

 a better yield of barley than of oats, but the chief 

 reason alleged was that a more certain take of seeds 

 could be obtained in barley. At Aberaeron the road 

 drops down to the sea level and runs for some miles 

 close to the coast ; hereabouts the soils are kindly and 

 the farming rather better ; indeed most of the land 

 looked capable of growing anything, even though a 

 rainfall of over 40 in. adds to the difficulties of arable 

 farming. Many of the pastures were excellent, and in 

 the warm sun the air was full of the scent of white 

 clover. A little farther north, however, the country 

 becomes poorer with a smaller proportion under the 



