380 MarUc1-<!(irih II Soi/s inid ('rojii^ 



Although soil surveys are in progress in many counties of Kngland, 

 and although much valuable information concerning the chemical and 

 physical properties of diflterent soil formations which make them suitable 

 for ordinary cereal and root crops has been obtained, yet no similar 

 work has been done on the market-garden soils and crops which play 

 so important a part in the agriculture of such a county as Bedfordshire. 



The area under market-garden crops increases yearly, and as there 

 is a tendency for small farmers without experience to take up this 

 particidar branch of farming, it becomes more and more imperative 

 that such correlations between crops, metliods of agriculture, and 

 chemical and physical properties of the soil should ])e made, in order 

 to supply the inexperienced market-gardener with information con- 

 cerning the most suitable crops and best systems of treatment and 

 manuring for any soil formation of known properties. 



Further, the minute survey of the soils necessary to achieve this 

 end, in a district where there are great " quarternary " accumulations 

 which vary considerably in texture, should throw some light upon the 

 methods of soil survey applicable to counties where there is much 

 "drift" deposit. 



At the suggestion of Professor Wood, the writer decided to conduct 

 a detailed examination of the soils and crops of the Biggleswade market- 

 garden area of Bedfordshire. This area is roughly one of KM) square 

 miles, and extends from Henlow in the south to St Xeots in the north, 

 (lamlingay marks the eastern limit and perhaps Willington marks an 

 ill-defined western limit to the district. The Great Northern Railway 

 runs through the centre of the district from north to south, giving 

 yt Neots, Tempsford, Sandy, Biggleswade, Langford, and Henlow direct 

 connection with London, and communication with the great northern 

 industrial centres, while the London and North-Western Railway crosses 

 the Great Northern Railway almost at right angles and links up 

 Gamlingay, Potton, Sandy, Girtford, Blunham, and Willington with 

 the Midland Railway service to London and midland centres, map I. 



The district is characterized by extensive vallev grave] deposits on 

 either side of the Ivel and the Ouse. The Ivel flows almost due north 

 and south, making a slight deviation around the western extremity o" 

 the greensand escarpment at Sandy, and joins its waters with the Ouse 

 at Tempsford. The whole valley system of the Ouse and Ivel is 

 enclosed by boulder clay elevations on the east and west. 



The market-garden area ])roper can be said to lie within the limits 

 of a two mile boundary on either side of the railway, but the writer has 



