532 
fate of rottennefs to which they perfilt it 
is impoffible to reduce them, fpread them, 
during a dry froft, in the month of Febru- 
ary, over a bank that hitherto had pro- 
duced nothing but the moft miferable mofs ; 
and I have the fatisfaétion to fee it at this 
time covered with the beft gvafs of any 
part of the meadow. 
How far thefe circumftances of the fhort- 
yefs and fcanttnefs of our ftraw, the ne- 
ele&t.of our grafs land, and the tardinefs of 
our ipnng mult increafe the difficulty of 
making 2 winter provifion for our fleck 
muft be fufficiently evident. Nor have we 
here adopted any of the needful improve- 
ments that might multiply our refources. 
Pew are the farmers that cultivate any tur- 
nips; fewer_ fill who hoe them, or give 
them in any refpect the neceffary attention. 
Of thofe who do cultivate them, I know 
but one or two who make ute of hurdles, 
or any other means to turn them to bef 
advantage. Moft of them turn their ftock. 
toofe upon the whole piece, quite ‘at the 
-beginning of the winter, or rather betore 
the winter begins; fo that of courfe about 
2 third part of them are prefently eaten up, 
and the refi are trodden into the ground 
and wafted. : 
Cow-cabbages we grow none. And in- 
deed neither the sorality of the peopie nor 
of their ftock admit of fuch expenfive cul- 
tivation. Of the former, there are feveral 
in this very neighbourhood, whe carry on 
every fpecies of petty depredation ; not like 
the drunken ragged vagabonds that are to 
be found in other parts of the nation; but 
who follow their calling as a regular and 
reputable trade, and thrive in the world, 
and make decent provifions for their famt- 
lies, by robbing gardens, orchards, and 
en-roofts. Nay fome there are who have 
even by fuch and the like reputable prac- 
tices, become Janded gentlemen of Wales, 
and purchafed freehold eftates to the anrount 
of two or three hundred a year. What 
chance would a field of winter cabbages 
have in fucha neighbourhood, at a diftance, 
perchance, of a mile or two from the houfe- 
dog, and at fuch diftances do many of our 
fields lie. It is a walk of feven or eight 
miles to go round my little farm of icfs 
than forty acres. 
But thould your neighbours fpare your 
cabbages, beaffured their ftock would not. 
‘There are certain maxims of Welfh mora- 
Jity, at Jeaft of the morality of this part of 
Wales, which, though hitherto only tradi- 
tionarily and practically handed down (like 
the common law of England heretofare) it 
may be ufeful and inttruétive to reduce, at 
ihis time; into writing——to wit—Itis law- 
Agriculture, Crops, &¢. in South Wales. 
[July 1, 
ful and right to keep twenty times as much 
ftock (particularly fheep) as you have land 
to maintain; to confider all the farms in 
the neighbourhood as a common ; to graze 
every. thing your neighbour has upon his 
ground, ripe or unripe, except his wheat ; 
and abufe him if he murmurs or complains. 
It is lawful and right to turn your horfes, 
when idle, loofe upon the roads, to fhift for 
thenifelves, tear down your neighbour’s 
hedges, and deftroy his hay or his grain. 
It is lawful and right to keep pigs which 
you never feed, and turn them loofe with- 
out yoke or ring, fo that no hedge’ or fence 
may be able to refift them, and this parti- 
cularly at the feafon when the fruit is ri- 
pening, and every gale of wind ftrews the 
orchards with the produce of the trees ; 
upon which, peradventure, fome of your 
neighbours, who pay five and thirty fhil- 
lings an acre for a patch of miferable land, 
may piace their principal dependence. Alt 
this is perfeétly right and moral—but te 
pound your neighbour’s horfe, or fheep, or 
pig, how. incalculable feever the injury he 
may have done you, or evgn to fet your 
dog to worry and tear the ears of anintru- - 
der of this laft defcription, thefe are enor- 
mities with which rape and highway-rob- 
bery and murder are fearcely to be put in 
competition. 
I call this the morality of the neighbour- 
hood ; becaufe it is praétically upholden, 
not only by thofe prudent people who car- 
ry on the reputable trade of thieving in the 
aforefaid fuccefsfui manner; but by others 
alfo, who, in other refpeéts, are really a 
good fort of friendly people, and who, 
barring the eftablifhed ufages mm which 
they have been habitually educated, would 
difdain a difhonett or difhonourable aétion 
as much as any fet of people whatever. 
Like mafter like man. The morals of 
the very fheep are contaminated, and their 
manners corrupted by the circumftances 
under which they live. In the midft of 
cultivation, and with the marks of pro- 
prietorfnip on their backs and ears, they» 
have all the habits of favage nature. With 
the wildnefs and nimblenefs of untamed 
dogs, fung by their neceffities, and train- 
ed to fhift for themfelves, they leap your 
garden walls and your hedges, as the wolves 
of old were ufed to leap their pin-folds. I, 
planted a thoufand cow-cabbages in my 
garden laft year ; which, though they did 
not thrive very well, would yet, confider- 
ing the fhortnefs of fodder, have been very 
uleful this {pring; but behold, my neigh- 
bour’s fheep fealed the wall during a hard 
froit, and devoured and fpoiled about fowr 
fifths of them. With refpect to hedges 
indeed, 
