Farming of South Wales. 



127 



north-east course to the south of Carmarthen and Llandovery ; 

 then, before reaching the borders of Radnor, make a curve in a 

 contrary direction, and again bending upwards pass into Hereford, 

 a little above Hay. This large tract, covering more than 2500 

 square miles, includes the northern and larger part of Pembroke, 

 the whole of the county of Cardigan, nearly all Radnor, and a very 

 considerable portion of Carmarthen. In the neighbourhood of St. 

 David's, Fishguard, St. Clare's, and Radnor, the trappean rocks 

 frequently occur. In some instances the soil of the clay- slate 

 formations is tolerably productive, in others quite the contrary. 

 These formations occupy many elevated and exposed situations in 

 the district, and often will not there pay for arable cultivation. The 

 soil is generally good upon the grey shale, but unproductive when 

 resting on a blue slate. The valleys and sides of the mountains 

 abound with peat, and clay is in many places within a few inches 

 of the surface. The south sides of the hills, when not too steep, 

 often produce better corn than the hollows below. Most of these 

 soils are deficient in calcareous matter, and the great distance from 

 lime renders improvement in many parts expensive and slow. 

 When the soil is ploughed in the upper districts, oats and (till 

 lately) potatoes were the only crops successfully produced : but 

 on the low lands good corn is grown, and there can be no doubt 

 that nearly all the soil is favourable for the cultivation of turnips. 

 The best land of Radnor is found in the valleys, through which 

 the Wye, the Lug, and the Teme flow. In these tracts turnips 

 are grown to a considerable extent, being drilled on ridges. The 

 meadows about Upper Radnor are wet and barren, but the hills 

 afford good sheep-walk. The northern portion of the Brecknock 

 which rests on these formations is cold and unproductive. In 

 Cardigan several rich loams are to be met with in the valley of 

 Teify and Aeron. The Vale of Towy, in Carmarthen, has a rich 

 fertile soil, and on the level of the Taf from the borders of Pem- 

 broke to Laugharne, the ground produces luxuriant crops. By 

 the sea-coast of Pembroke and Cardigan there is a large extent of 

 table-land, which is of better and lighter quality than the irregular 

 ground of the interior. This tract which has long been celebrated 

 for its barley, generally abounds with large porous grey field- 

 stones. These also cover the pastures, and are not removed, as 

 in seasons of drought they retain considerable quantities of mois- 

 ture. The trap-rocks, in districts where they appear, produce 

 important changes in the nature of the soil. When not too hard 

 or too much elevated they afford land which will readily produce 

 all crops, but especially barley. There are anomalous detached 

 rocks of limestone in the vicinity of Radnor which are very 

 serviceable in that otherwise limeless tract. The chief mineral 



