ENGLAND. 



701 





Statistics, soil n Herefordshire : in its general character, it is a 

 >1 ^'Y'"*' mixture of marl and clay, in which, at least in some 

 places, the calcareous earth is very evident and pre- 

 dominant. There is no appearance of chalk or flint ; 

 but the tenacity of the clay, besides being reduced and 

 ameliorated by the calcareous soil, is farther divided 

 and softened by sand. In some parts of the county, 

 however, particularly towards the west borders, the 

 clay soil is cold and ungenial ; the substratum here is 

 limestone, of an impure kind: towards the east of Here- 

 fordshire, the soil also varies from its general character, 

 being loose and shallow, and not of very great fertility 

 or value. In the centre of the county, especially round 

 the city of Hereford, gravelly soil, to a considerable 

 depth, is met with. On the south, there is some sand, 

 naturally of rather a good quality, and much improved 

 by manure and cultivation. The richest tract of the 

 strong clay soil, extends from Hereford towards Led- 

 bury. In the county of Monmouth, there is much va- 

 riety of soil, but generally of a good quality, and rather 

 dry and light than moist and heavy: from Rumney 

 Bridge to Newport, loam is found resting on rock, rub- 

 ble, or clay ; in the vale part of this tract, the loam is 

 lighter, much intermixed with mud, and very fertile. 

 Along the coast, from the Usk to Portskeivit, the soil is 

 also a rich loam, intermixed with mud and sand, and 

 of a brownish or grey colour : the substratum in many 

 parts is limestone : the proper clay district of Mon- 

 mouthshire lies in the hundred of Usk : this species of 

 soil is also met with in Ragland hundred: in both these 

 hundreds, the clay is occasionally of a great depth, but 

 where not so, it lies on a bed of rubble. Round the 

 town of Monmouth, the soil is various, partly clay, 

 partly gravelly sand ; the substratum rubble : the red 

 soil, already frequently mentioned as possessing great 

 fertility, and as stretching from Nottinghamshire into 

 the west of England, is met with in a few spots of the 

 hundred of Abergavenny. On the whole, the county 

 of Monmouth possesses a valuable and fertile soil. 

 In the mid- .The soil of many of the counties which compose the 

 unddistricu midland district of England, especially that of Notting- 

 hamshire, Leicestershire, Rutlandshire, and Northamp- 

 tonshire, is more uniform and similar than that of any 

 district in England of an equal size. The prevalent 

 ^iils in these counties may be characterised as loam of 

 different degrees of depth, strength, and fertility ; but 

 generally rather strong, dry, and sound. Although, 

 however, this description applies generally to the soils 

 of this district of England, there are exceptions to it. 

 In the county of Nottingham, sandy soil is found in the 

 forest district ; rich light loam, lying on sand or grave), 

 stretches along the banks of the Trent ; and there are 

 two tracts of land, which are denominated the nortli 

 and south clays, though perhaps they might be more 

 -trictly and justly called strong loams. The Vale of 

 Belvoir is one of the best and fairest specimens of the 

 f this county, being a loam of great fertility. That 

 description of country called Woulds, prevails in some 

 parts. The soil on them is generally a cold clay. The 

 .iib.Kiil in many parts of Nottinghamshire is limestone; 

 11 other parts, sand and gravel; and in other parts 

 again, the soil continues of the same nature and quality 

 tot a considerable depth. In Leicestershire, no clay 

 or sand, strictly so called, are to be met with ; nor is 

 there any moss or peatty soil, the peat bogs, by drain- 

 ng, cultivation, and manure, having been rendered va- 

 luable meadow soil. The soil of Leicestershire, there- 

 fore, may be divided into three kinds : strong loam, 

 lighter loam, and loam nearly of an equal strength as the 



first kind, but of a moister nature. The first descrip- Statistic!, 

 tion in general is found in the valleys. The character- ^ "Y"""' 

 istic of the upland soil is a reddish friable loam, lying 

 on gravel, rock, or marl. The third description of soil 

 occurs near the banks of tne rivers, or in those places 

 where the peat bogs have been drained and cultivated. 

 The prevalent soil of Rutlandshire may be conjectured 

 from the etymology of the name of the county, ruddle, 

 in many parts of England, being the common appella- 

 tion of that red clay or loam, with which shepherds 

 mark their sheep. This kind of soil, of a strong nature, 

 is found extensively in Rutlandshire, especially in the 

 centre of the county, and towards the northern and 

 western borders. The soil in the east and south-east 

 parts is mostly shallow, upon a limestone rock. The 

 upland parts of Northamptonshire generally consist ei- 

 ther of a brown or a red loam, more or less tenacious. 

 The subsoil in these parts, for the most part, is stone 

 in loose fragments, or what is usually called rubble. 

 This stone is evidently calcareous, though in many pla- 

 ces it is not pure enough to be burnt into lime. Be- 

 sides this subsoil, the brown or red loam, in other parts 

 of the county, rests on gravel and clay. In the north- 

 west of Northamptonshire, the soil is thin and light, 

 though the subsoils are still for the most part calcareous. 

 The east of the county consists of fens ; and in the vi- 

 cinity of these fens, as well as in the meadow lands, fer- 

 tile deep soil is very prevalent On the whole, the soil 

 of this county may be described as consisting of rich 

 loam, which seldom changes either into clay or sand. 

 Of the other counties, which, in the geographical ar- 

 rangement of England, we placed in. the midland dis- 

 trict, the same observation respecting soil will not hold 

 good, which we have affirmed respecting the coun- 

 ties just mentioned. Derbyshire, however, at least the 

 southern part of it, may perhaps be excepted. The 

 most common soil in this part of the county, resembles 

 the red soil so frequently noticed ; but it is intermixed 

 with tracts of sand and gravel. On the north-west side 

 of the county, limestone soil is found of different qua- 

 lities and degrees of fertility. On the east sides day, 

 generally tenacious, cold, and unfertile, abounds. The 

 same description of soil predominates in the north of 

 Derbyshire. Here also peat and moory soil is very 

 prevalent. In Staffordshire, the soils most commonly 

 met with, are peat in the northern parts, and loams of 

 various degrees of strength and fertility in the central 

 and southern parts. In the neighbourhood of Litchfield, 

 there is much excellent soil. The lands which border 

 on the Trent are also uncommonly fertile. 



There are few counties in any part of England that 

 display more unequivocal proofs of fertility of soil, even 

 to those who are not accurately acquainted with the 

 means of distinguishing it, tlian Worcestershire. Though 

 it varies in its kind, its quality is almost uniformly good. 

 To the north of Worcester, 'it consists chiefly of rich 

 loamy sand. In the eastern quarter of the county, the 

 prevailing soil is, for the most part, a strong clay, but 

 not cold or ungenial. To the south, between Worcester 

 and the Vale of Evesham, red land and strong loamy 

 clay are found. In the vale itself, the soil is remarka- 

 bly deep and rich, consisting of a dark coloured earth, 

 in some parts so strong as to be fit for making bricks ; 

 and in other places of a more friable nature. The.sub- 

 stratum here is either gravel or strong clay; light sandy 

 soils and gravel prevail chiefly near Kidderminster and 

 Stourbridge. It is generally supposed that one half of 

 the county consists of rich clay and loamy soils, with a 

 substratum of limestone. The soil of the Cotswold 



