Cylchgronau Cymru

whole this crop occupied under i per cent of the arable acreage in 1801, a similar proportion to that occupied by turnips.. The fact that the crop was successfully grown on the lowland demesne farm at Gogerddan would tend to invalidate the argument that climatic and ecological factors militated against the growth of the turnip crop in western Cardiganshire. It is more likely that the high labour cost involved in the cultivation of turnips was beyond the resources of many small tenant farmers, who were thus prevented from following the example of the home farm. Another factor, which often tends to be overlooked, was the natural conservatism (or hereditary prejudices' as one observer put it) of the Cardiganshire tenant farmer which rendered him suspicious of innovation. Indeed, as late as 1879, when it was argued that the cultivation of turnips would enable farmers to over-winter more stock and to sell these animals at relatively high prices in the spring months, the attitude that turnip feeding was the practice of 'fancy' farmers was still prevalent throughout much of Cardiganshire. In common with most farms in Wales during the early nineteenth century, grassland husbandry practice on the Gogerddan demesne farm was relatively unsophisticated. It is interesting to note, however, that a positive policy of the re-seeding of fallows was adopted on the farm, in contrast to the general practice in South Wales of allowing leys to regenerate from the natural products of a well-worn soil'. Entries in the account books refer, for example, to the purchase of clover and ryegrass seeds which were generally sown into over- wintered fallow in late April and early May. After sowing, the seed bed was thoroughly harrowed and rolled. Established grassland which was to be closed up for hay received liberal dressings of dung during February after which it was harrowed and rolled, rushes being cut from wet areas in early May. The only other husbandry operation prior to the hay harvest, involved the removal of surface stones by gangs of women, an expedient presumably adopted to prevent any possible damage to scythes at mowing time. Unfortunately the papers do not permit the accurate determination of crop rotation sequences or crop yields from the various fields on the farm. This is due principally to the fact that within a given year most fields were occupied by several crops of which acreages could not be determined. Some indication of the multiple use of fields is provided by the case of Cae Gwyn which, in 1814-15, was occupied by at least four crops