SUITED FOR PLANTING. 289 



yield in general a shallow, often dry, poor clay soil, with little 

 earthy substance. On such a soil, the cultivation of oak timber 

 is not to be thought of. 



2, The Clayey Sandstones and Slaty Clays form a friable clayey 

 soil, which, especially when haviug a N. aspect, is characterised by 

 strength, freshness, and a fair percentage of vegetable mould. 

 Although not the most favourable situation for the oak, it is 

 found here and there in the beech (Eisenacher Forst) and 

 silver fir forests with a lively growth ; but in general the soil 

 seems rather binding and varying in depth. Q. scssiliflora is 

 jnore frequently met wath than Q. 2^(^dunculata, at least in the 

 Eisenacher forests. 



To enumerate the various soils of the younger systems, and 

 examine how far they favour the cultivation of the oak would be 

 tedious ; v/e shall treat them under the heads sandy, limy^ 

 clayey and marly soils. 



The deep, fresh, mild, fertile loams of the post-Tertiary period 

 are suited for the growth of all our trees, but we seldom find 

 forests on them, as tillage ensures a higher revenue to the 

 proprietor. 



Sandy Soils. — Among the varieties of sand we consider : — 



1. Bunter Sandstcin. — According to the nature of the cement 



and the proportion to the number of grains of quartz contained, 



the bunter sandstein (Triassic system) yields soils of different 



qualities, although on the whole it appears deficient in mineral 



strength. Often it yields a whitish-grey, loose, shallow, rather 



unfruitful sand ; at times a strong, yellowish, sandy loam ; and 



in some cases a red, loose, moderately deep, more or less loamy 



sand, comparatively free from stones, as in the vast forests of the 



Soiling in Hanover, in Eheinhardtswald in Hessen-Cassel, and 



of the Spessart range. All three varieties (producing beeches) 



are seen in the Marksuhler Eevier near Eisenach. This latter 



variety, on account of its strength, depth, looseness, and warmth, 



is well adapted to the growth of oak, which occurs extensively 



there in subordinate mixture with the beech, and produces 



timber of the best quality. On the loamy, sandy varieties, with 



less mineral strength, the timber is scarcely of first-rate quality. 



The best oak forests on such soils that we have seen are situated 



on the outlying hills of the Soiling, bordering on the valley of 



the Leine, where the better kind of bunter sandstein gives place 



to the muschelkalk resting immediately above. Here the soil is 



a deep, fresh, fertile loam, formed by the soil having been washed 



down from the hills of muschelkalk and bunter sandstein into the 



valley. This detritus of muschelkalk and bunter sandstein has a 



subsoil of the latter rock. This oak forest (Forst Eevier Eothen- 



kirchen, Forstort Eselbreite) has an undergrowth of beech and 



sHver fir to maintain the strength and freshness of the soil ; both 



T 



