296 A^Y AMERICAN FARMER IX EXGLAXD. 



and a large flock of sheep, appearing of gigantic size against the 

 leaden clouds behind. In the course of the day I met with many 

 of these flocks, and nearly all the lull-land seemed given up to 

 them. I was upon the border, in/act, of the great South-down 

 district, and, during the next week, the greater part of the country 

 through which we were traveling, was of the same general char- 

 acter of landscape, though not always as green, varied, and 

 pleasing as in these outskirts. 



Geologically, it is a chalk district, the whole earth, high and 

 low, and to any depth that I saw it exposed, being more or less 

 white, generally gray, but sometimes white as snow. The only 

 stone is flint, which occurs in small boulders or pebbles, cased in 

 a hardened crust of carbonate of lime mingled irregularly with 

 the chalk, more thickly on the hill-tops, and often gathered in 

 beds. The road is made of these flint pebbles, broken fine, and 

 their chalk-crust, powdered by the attrition of wheels, is worked 

 up into a slippery paste during such heavy rains as I was expe- 

 riencing, and makes the walking peculiarly fatiguing. The soil 

 upon the hills is very dry and thin. In the valleys it is deeper 

 and richer, being composed, in a considerable part, of the wash 

 of the higher country, and the wheat and forage crops are often 

 very luxuriant. Advantage is sometimes taken of the streams to 

 form water-meadows, and the effect of irrigation can often be 

 seen at a considerable distance in the deeper green and greater 

 density of the grass upon them. As these meadows are of great 

 agricultural value, I will describe the method of construction and 

 management of them. 



An artificial channel is made, into which the water of a brook 

 may be turned at will. This is carried along for as great a dis- 

 tance as practicable, so as to skirt the upper sides of fields of a 

 convenient surface for irrigation. At suitable intervals there are 

 gates and smaller channels, and eventually a great number of 



