580 
Ayriculttire of North Wales. 
advantfiofe a farmer can possess, cceteris paribus, as it gives him a 
complete command of all the resources of modern husbandry. 
How rejoiced would a lowland farmer in the richer grazing dis- 
tricts of the eastern counties of England he, were he to have 
attached and contiguous to his richer lands a tract of the inferior 
description noticed ; what an advantage it would be to him to 
be enabled to maintain as great an amount of stock on his own 
farm in winter as in summer, instead of having to sell ofFa portion 
in autumn, when prices are the lowest, and purchase again in 
spring when prices are the highest, or else jiay a visit to the up- 
land farmers perhaps 20 or 30 miles distant, and contract with 
them for the feeding of so many acres of rape to turn his surplus 
stock into during the winter, at a certain rate per acre according 
to the luxuriance of the crop; and this he is only enabled to ♦ 
accomplish with such farmers as have not sufficient capital to buy 
stock themselves, those who have capital preferring to ])urchase 
stock and obtain the difference of value between the autumn and 
spring price in addition to what might have been put on bv feeding 
during winter on such a fattening article as rape or swedes, 
shearlings and ewes being mostly put on the common white and 
yellow turnips ; the whole of these advantages are in the hands of 
the Welsh farmer who resides in districts similar to those now 
under observation, and it is his own fault that he does not derive 
all the advantages of his situation, viz., moor land for summer 
grazing young and store stock, rich vale land for summer fattening, 
and meadow hay for horses and fattening cattle ; inferior land to 
be cultivated with j)ortable manures for the production of winter- 
grown crops and straw. 
A considerable portion of the richer lands in Montgomery- 
shire, ])articularly the vale of the Severn, is strong pasture land, 
for which it is decidedly best adapted ; a little more attention to 
the drainage of the land in question would be an advantage in 
many instances ; the more friable soils are cultivated somewhat 
after the same manner that is adopted in Shropshire, the ad- 
joining district; lea broken up, wheat, potatoes, turnips manured, 
oats or wheat, hay, being the best course adopted ; it might be 
improved. In many places a much more scourginsf course is 
followed. The first step in improvement throughout Wales would 
be the adoption of eating off turnips on the field by sheep, or 
what may be termed the folding system : throughout Wales the 
turnips are drawn, and if given to sheep, which is a very common 
practice in Montgomer\ shire, they are drawn and thrown on the 
p.astures ; generally turnips are given to cattle. 
Of the farming of the Isle of Anglesea, it may be observed that 
it is in general in advance of most other districts of North Wales ; 
in this island there are some large farms well cultivated ; I ob- 
