Ol THE MENAI BASIN. 
229 
elivities of the mountain are covered with soil, oats are 
raised. 
In describing the culture of the soil of the Conway side 
of the Snowdon chain, we had occasion to remark that little 
or no turnip was raised, though all the tillage land of that 
basin was well fitted for the raising of that root. The 
same remark may be made in reference to this side of the 
Snowdon mountains. Except on the home-farms of Mr 
D. Pennant and Lord Newborough, scarce a field is to be 
leen elsewhere. Perhaps^ besides the erroneous prejudice 
entertained against the cultivation of this most valuable 
plant by the Carnarvonshire farmer, an additional obstacle 
may arise from the small extent of his farm, which seldom 
exceeds 100 acres; oftener not more than 50, and even 
less ; and held at will, as leases are scarcely ever granted. 
As there is a great demand for potatoes, the farmer devotes 
his manure to the raising of that useful crop. But as the 
greatest part of that crop is sold, his land is annually de- 
prived of much of its fertility by having no green crop, 
yielding much manure, to balance the loss thus occasioned 
by carrying the potatoes off the farm. 
As milk, butter, and butter-milk, are articles of great 
demand, in this district, among the labourers, it might be 
expected that great attention would be given to turn to 
useful purposes the abundance of water its rivers supply, 
for irrigation. But we do not find that as yet that has 
been done. Scarcely any good artificial water meadows 
have been formed. The management of the upland mea- 
dow-ground is also defective. If, from the geological struc- 
ture, the soil be so deficient, and vegetation so scanty, and 
consequently the food of the cattle and sheep necessarily 
not abundant, every means that art can supply ought to 
be employed, to raise larger quantities of grass and hay. 
Irrigation^ accordingly, judiciously conducted, would afford 
