G. W. Robinson and C. F. Hill 2H5 



plains why the drawing of boundaries is so difficidt. There is not a 

 very striking difference between the most common soil types and it 

 woukl be necessary to make a field to field survey to define them 

 with any degree of precision. The task for the present is to isolate 

 and study the types. Their accurate delineation must be a later and 

 longer task. The future work on these soils will consist, firstly, in a 

 study of the principal types and their peculiarities and, secondly, in 

 mapping out their boundaries on a more detailed scale. 



1. Carboniferous Limestone Soils. 



These soils present some difficulty in classification. There are certain 

 drift soils which do not lie on the limestone at all but which are in all 

 respects similar to true limestone soils and are, in fact, composed of 

 the decomposition products of Carboniferous Limestone. It has been 

 thought well for the present to include these with true limestone soils. 



The type occurs in Anglesey, northern Carnarvonshire, both sides 

 of the Vale of Clwyd and over a considerable tract of Flintshire. In the 

 latter area the formation is much obscured by drift. Drift soils of lime- 

 stone character are found in the eastern corner of Anglesey. 



The type is not sufficiently developed to have a characteristic agri- 

 culture. It may be noticed, however, that the districts where these soils 

 are cultivated are marked by better grass land than on the other soil 

 types. In Anglesey, it is remarkable that on the limestone, particularly 

 in the northern portion, small holdings and small fields are the rule. It 

 would seem that these areas were enclosed at an early period. While the 

 cultivated soils on the limestone are of considerable fertility, it must 

 also be remarked that there are large tracts only used for rough grazing, 

 such as the Great Orme near Llandudno and Halkyn Mountain in 

 Flintshire. This must be attributed to the elevation and also to the 

 well-known dryness of the formation. Where cultivated, these soils 

 seem to be generally sandy loams of a reddish or light brown colour. 



It appears that the soils of Anglesey and Carnarvon are rather 

 more sandy than those of Flint and Denbigh. We have accordingly 

 separated them for the purpose of averaging. It will be seen that the 

 difference is not very striking, but the soils of the former area show 

 more fine sand and less of the finer fractions. They are also rather 

 poorer in potash and richer in phosphoric acid. It must be owned that 

 the Carboniferous soils form a very variable type and the regional 

 classification here adopted does not help matters very much. Probably 

 when a larger number of examples have been examined it may be 



