Tlie Agriculture of Glamorganshire. 
187 
specimens of the breed. They consist chiefly of a dozen or more 
cows, according to the size of the farm, and young steers and 
heifers of from one to two years old. The calves are generally 
all reared, and the young stock, especially the steers, are sold 
off in store condition at two years old, along with several of the 
barren or draft cows from the stock in the spring months. 
They are, as a rule, readily purchased by dealers, who take 
them to JN orthamptonshire and other grazing districts in 
England. The best of the heifers are retained to keep up the 
stock of cows. I have often noted the excellence and purity 
of a Hereford herd of cattle, even under unfavourable condi- 
tions, on a farm of the kind just described. The tenants of 
such farms have generally done fairly well during recent years. 
Second. — The small dairy or grazing farms of the hill dis- 
tricts are stocked with Hereford cows not too highly bred. The 
number of cows ranges from 12 to 20 or more. The most of 
the calves are fatted and sold to the butcher at from 3/. to 5/. 
each, or at the rate of 9f?. to l{)d. per lb. A few of the heifer 
calves are reared to keep up the stock. As soon as the fat 
calves are disposed of (and several go off about Easter, when 
veal is in great request), the making of cheese commences. A 
class of thin-shaped, mild-flavoured, but wholesome and agree- 
able cheese is made, which is known as Caerphilly cheese, so 
named after the place where the market is held for its weekly 
sale. The Caerphilly cheese, though not much appreciated out 
of the county, is preferred by the thousands of colliers and 
others to most other varieties, and it finds a ready sale in a 
comparatively new state at prices ranging from 60s. to 70*. 
per cwt. A considerable number of small farmers follow this 
class of farming, and though they cannot amass fortunes, they 
are able to pay their way and make a living. Some of these 
small dairy farms have the neatest and most orderly appearance 
of any in the hill districts of the county. Milk-selling would 
probably pay better than cheese ; but the latter is more portable 
and handy, for instead of a delivery twice a day, a weekly or 
fortnightly drive to the cheese market is all that is necessary. 
It seems, however, anomalous that milk is sent from long dis- 
tances to the very districts where cheese-making continues to 
be the leading feature. This may probably be accounted for 
by the fact that the supply of Caerphilly cheese does not meet 
the demand, and that cheese is generally in greater request in 
Glamorganshire than either milk or butter. Another and 
perhaps stronger reason may be the fact that cheese-making 
runs in an old groove, whereas the now growing demand for 
milk dates from a very recent period. Cheese forms the staple 
of the Welsh colliers' dinner or midday meal in the mine. 
