ADMIXTURE OF SOILS. 23 



It is not so, on the other hand, with the application of clay to 

 light soils j and this has been practised in England so exten 

 sively, and with so much success, that I shall detain my reader 

 with some prominent examples. Of the application of clay in 

 the improvement of peat lands, I shall speak presently ; I now 

 refer only to its application to sandy and light lands, with a view 

 of giving them compactness. The object of applying clay, 

 indeed, may be twofold ; the first to produce a closeness of soil : 

 and the second, that of obviating their too great dryness, the 

 property of clay being to absorb and retain moisture both from 

 the atmosphere and that which falls in rain. 



One of the most extensive applications of it, which I have 

 witnessed, was on the farm of the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn, 

 a place distinguished, under the care of its present noble pos 

 sessor, as under that of his eminent predecessor, for a most in 

 telligent, scientific, extensive, and successful husbandry ; in all 

 its various arrangements, and the completeness and extent of its 

 operations, surpassed perhaps by no one in the kingdom, or 

 hardly, indeed, rivalled. 



The intelligent manager of the place, Mr. Burness, states that 

 he finds a the application of clay to his light soil of great ad 

 vantage. It makes the straw much stronger, with a better ear, 

 and standing much better up in wet seasons. When the land is 

 highly manured, without being clayed, the crops are liable to 

 fall down, become lodged and spoiled.&quot; He adds, likewise, 

 that he finds claying of great advantage to the turnip crop. 



The practice is to put the clay on the clover leys as early as 

 the crop is off, and get it broken in pieces as much as possible 

 before the land is ploughed for wheat. It is also laid on land 

 that is under fallow for turnips early in the winter, that is, on 

 land which has been ploughed preparatory to its being cultivated 

 in turnips the ensuing season. This is done that it may have 

 the chance of the winter and spring frosts to become well pul 

 verized before it is ploughed down ; and this he prefers to 

 spreading it upon clover leys. 



He goes on then to speak of some experiments. &quot; We clayed 

 last summer four acres, and left two acres not clayed on an old 

 sward and light soil. The clay was put on in July, and lay all 

 the summer ; was ploughed up in November, and pressed,&quot; (an 

 operation which I shall describe presently,) &quot; and the wheat 



