CH. II.] THE BOOT. 1 I 3 



inspector to pronounce, at once, upon the quality of 

 the soil exhibiting them are obviously arrangeable 

 under four heads. First, the vegetation on the 

 soil; secondly, the soil itself ; thii'dly, the drainage 

 water; fourthly, the meteorological phenomena; 

 and on these heads I shall proceed to offer some 

 observations in the order mentioned. 



I. The Plants produced by the Soil. — If the com- 

 mon fern fPteris aquilina,) furze fUlex EuropcBus, ) 

 and heaths f Erica,) prevail, either separately or 

 conjmictively upon a soil, they afford a certain indica- 

 tion that it is the most improductive and unreclaimable 

 of all light soils — a siliceous surface resting upon a 

 sandy or gravelly subsoil. When I say unreclaim- 

 able, it is not intended that such a soil cannot be 

 rendered productive, if clay, aluminous marl, or 

 chalk be in the vicinity with which to improve its 

 staple, but that it cannot be improved from its own 

 bowels — that it has not the remedy for its sterility 

 within itself. 



In the east of England the Pteris aquilina, there 

 known as the Brake, is estimated as the indicator of 

 the most evil, and a common story is current amongst 

 the Essex farmers expressive of this opmion. An old 

 cultivator who was blind, when upon a farm that was 

 to be let, being told that he might tie his horse to 

 one of the brakes, replied " Nay, nay, then I'll go on 

 fiuther — the brakes shan't break me." 



I 



