366 



SYLVA AMERICANA. 



The larch, pine, and fir tribe in general will succeed well on 

 a soil of this texture, although the beech comes to the greatest 

 perfection, or is, perhaps, the plant most profitable to employ in 

 planting soils of this nature, particularly when the subsoil happens 

 to be deep sand. 



4th. Light sandy siliceous soil, incumbent on a damp, 

 clayey subsoil. 



Siliceous sand, of various degrees of fineness, . 290 



Gravel partly calcareous, .... 40 



Impalpable loamy matter, consisting of carbonate of 



lime, ....... 5 



Silica, or earth of flints, . . . . . 38 



Alumina or clay, ...... 9 



Oxide of iron, ...... 5 



Decomposing vegetable matter, ... 8 



Moisture and loss, ...... 5 



400 



The oak grows rapidly on this soil, and should constitute the 

 principal timber tree of the plantation. The chesnut also 

 attains to great maturity in the same kind of soil. The nurse 

 trees most proper are the larch, spruce, and particularly the 

 silver fir. The elm planted on this soil had not attained to the 

 size of the above-mentioned trees in the same period from 

 planting, but the timber was considered of a superior quality. 



5th. Clayey loam, incumbent on a clayey subsoil. 



Coarse gravel, partly calcareous, ... 40 



Fine sand, ....... 190 



Carbonate of lime, ...... 16 



Decomposing vegetable fibre, . . . . 14 



Silex, or pure matter of flints, .... 90 



Alumina, or pure matter of clay, ... 30 



Oxide of iron, ....... 7 



Soluble vegetable extract and saline matters, containing 



gypsum, common salt, and sulphate of potash, . 

 Loss and moisture, ...... 



5 



8 



400 



This soil brings the oak to the highest state of perfection. 



