562 
Agriculture of North Wales. 
bands of limestone ; and is further remarkable for the south- 
eastern portion of the district, possessing a soil similar to the 
upper Silurian formation in the neighbourhood of Welchpool. A 
low set of moors extend from Yspelty Evan to Arenig Bach, cross- 
ing the Gl}n Diffws and Rhiwlas limestones, after which they 
join the Berwin hills at their north-eastern extremity. On the 
road from Festiniog to Bala there is a considerable quantity of 
reclaimable peat vales, which gradually pass into rich arable and 
pasture lands in the vicinity of Bala and Rhiwlas ; soils of a similar 
description, viz., a good hazel loam, extend along each bank of the 
Dee from Rhiwlas to Corwen. The level portion of the trans- 
verse valleys which open on to the Dee are of a similar character : 
passing over the Dee at Bala, we arrive at the centre of the Ber- 
win range. 
JNIr. Davis states in his report, that the Berwin range takes its 
rise near Chirk Castle, in Denbighshire, and continues to Cader 
Idris. He further states, that " The geometrical length of this 
range is 54 miles, and a straight line drawn from point to point 
would measure 49 miles further, that " the north-eastern ex- 
tremity of this argillaceous range is abutted with the Vron and 
Bronigarth limeworks." The north-eastern portion of this range 
has already been described amongst the Denbighshire upper 
Silurian hills, which stretch from Llansaintfraid, on the Ceriog, 
to Llangollen, and from Chirk to Moel Fei'na, near Corwen, 
where the range joins the protozoic formation. The country 
round the south-cnstern portion of this range, from Arran Mowddy 
to Cader Idris, has been described in the account of the district 
west of the Arenigs. Mr. Davis writes of the Berwins, that " the 
surface-produce of this range is, first, fern ; and whin or gorse 
upon the lower and drier outskirts; heath upon the loftier sum- 
mits of argillaceous schistus rooted upon shallow peat upon clay 
or rammel ; rushes and varieties of mosses, and alpine aquatic 
plants on the humid slopes and hollows, upon various depths of 
peat." I may briefly state in addition, that I passed over the 
range about its centre, viz., from Bala to Llangynnog, the total 
distance of which is about 12 miles, the last 10 of which are 
through or over the Berwin mountains, and I can vouch for the 
accuracy of the description given by Mr. Davis, so far as the 
range extends from Arran Mowddy to Moel Ferna, and from the 
river Dee to Llangynnog — a tract of country about 20 miles in 
length by about 9 in width, barren, cheerless, and almost totally 
irreclaimable at a profit, if we except some formations of peal. 
Proceeding from B;da, and about two miles before arriving at Llan- 
gynnog, we come to the summit of a mountain-pass, which gra- 
dually descends to the latter place. In the course of the descent 
the traveller has the opportunity of admiring one of the most 
