in Denmark, Sweden, and Russia. 407 



on the common land. The sandy soil with few flints, of the 

 earlier part of our journey, gradually gave place to a gravel, in some 

 places deep and full of flints. It is said that over this wide tract of 

 heathy land the flinty gravel and sand are not more than 6 inches 

 in depth, and that the nature of the dark bed beneath gives little 

 hope of amelioration from deeper ploughing. It appeared to me, 

 however, that considerable portions of land here and there were 

 capable of being reclaimed, or, where already in crop, rendered 

 much more productive by judicious drainage. In some of the 

 more level parts of the country it might be diflicult to find a ready 

 outlet for the water, but otherwise the making of the drains 

 would be attended with little expense. From such drainage I 

 should expect not merely the removal of superfluous moisture 

 and the gradual amelioration of the climate, but an improvement 

 also in the nature of the subsoil, here said to be unfriendly to vege- 

 tation. 



The great problem to be solved in many districts, before the 

 soil can be permanently rendered more productive, is the mode 

 of effectually and economically altering the subsoil. This is beyond 

 the reach of ordinary top-dressings and manurings, and even deep 

 ploughing (supposing that by merely bringing it to the sur- 

 face the quality of the subsoil is materially improved) produces 

 only a partial and temporary change. Draining seems to me to 

 be in general the only way of effectually and permanently alter- 

 ing the subsoil; and this constitutes one of the chief recommend- 

 ations of its use upon light and sandy soils. The rain, which 

 passes through such soils with comparative ease, washes out from 

 the subsoil those noxious ingredients which are hostile to vegeta- 

 tion, sweetens and salubrifies it to the depth of the drains, and 

 fits it for being brought up to the surface without producing any 

 injurious effect. By such action of the rains upon the thin heathy 

 lands of Holstein the unwholesome clays beneath might be so far 

 purified as to qualify them for being mixed advantageously with 

 the sands and gravels above, while they would at the same time, 

 where left undisturbed, permit the roots readily to descend into 

 their substance in search of food. 



About 8 English miles from Kiel the land began to undulate, 

 and at the same time to become more fertile. Though still very 

 light, it produced beautiful crops of oats, barley, rye, and wheat — ■ 

 of each of which kind of grain very extensive fields were seen. 

 The wheat was thick and heavy, and the oats of a peculiarly dark 

 green colour. This soil, as I have already observed, is probably 

 rich in lime, and the natural waste of this substance is supplied 

 from the marl-pits, of which numbers exist at no great distance 

 from the road on the approach to Kiel. Along the skirts of the 

 undulating country also the heath and sandy moor is partially im- 



