Farming of South Wales. 



143 



barley." And again of sea-weed, " After spring-tydes, or great 

 rigs of the sea, they fetch it in sacks on horse backes, and carie 

 the same three, four, or five miles, and cast it on the lande, which 

 doth very much better the ground for corn and grass." These 

 spoils of the ocean are found in great quantities in many maritime 

 positions, but chiefly on the Western Coast. Some lay the sea- 

 weed fresh on the land, and immediately plough it in ; others, as 

 of old, put it in heaps to ferment. Alternate layers of farm-yard 

 dung and ore produce an excellent compost, as the saline juices 

 of the seaweed do not escape (as is frequently the case if placed 

 by itself), but mix with the manure, which thus in an eminent 

 degree retains its moisture in hot weather. It was till lately suc- 

 cessfully applied in a fresh state as a dressing for potatoes. The 

 sea-sand is highly calcareous, containing large quantities of pul- 

 verized shells. It is applied at the rate of 10 to 20 loads per 

 acre, and is considered serviceable in destroying many weeds 

 which the overcropped land naturally produces. 



Lime is extensively used in South Wales. In districts it is very 

 plentiful : some places can be supplied by water, while in many 

 others none can be obtained but by a longf and hilly land-carriage. 

 In some tracts it is common to send for lime 20 or 30 miles ! The 

 numerous heavy tolls, which in long journeys amounted to a serious 

 sum, were the principal causes of the Rebecca riots. When far 

 fetched, the lime is applied with much skill and judgment, but 

 too much at once is frequently used where it can be easily had. 

 The quantity applied per acre is often regulated by the price, and 

 ranges from 60 to 250 bushels per acre. Extraordinary heavy 

 limings are frequently given to the stiff loams in the Vale of Gla- 

 morgan, and Mr. Davies mentions several cases which averaged 

 for sixty years 100 bushels per acre every year ! It may be as 

 well to state, that this buff-coloured lime is not so strong a manure 

 by nearly one half as that of the calcined carboniferous limestone. 

 Of course the price, therefore, varies with the locality. In Car- 

 digan it is sometimes Id. or Sd. per bushel, while in the southern 

 parts of Pembroke it can be produced for 3d. 



Marl was anciently much used as a manure. It is said to have 

 been first discovered by one Cole, a Frenchman, in the twelfth 

 century. It is much prized by the historian already quoted, for 

 he says, " It will carry barlie, wheat, and peas continually for twentie 

 yeares without dong." This clay-marl is described as being of a 

 " blewe coller, sometimes redd," fat and clammy, more adapted for 

 loose, dry land than moist, where ' f lyme rather serveth than this." 

 It was considered much more durable than sand or lime, for the 

 old adage says, " that a man doth sand for himselfe, lyme for his 

 sonne, and marie for his grandchilde." Marl abounds chiefly in 

 the north of Pembroke and south of Cardigan, but is hardly ever 



