SOILS AND THEIR COMPOSITION 153 



which in itself produces only heath and pasture, but 

 which, by means of the detritus washed down through 

 long ages, confers on the lowlands, such as the Yorkshire 

 vales, some of the richest soil in England. 



The next item in the geological scale would be the 

 Coal Measures, which for our present purpose we can 

 ignore, and pass on to the rich acres both for the plough- 

 share and for fruit-growing, which occur above the New 

 Red Sandstone and the Marls of the Midlands, Cheshire 

 and of Denbigh. In the latter county the older, primary 

 rocks have thrust themselves upwards and so formed 

 hill-tops covered with woods and the wild uplands from 

 which come the famous Welsh mutton. 



The Liassic Measures or Blue Clay come after the 

 Marls, and extend almost continuously from Lyme Regis 

 to the coast of Northumberland via the Midlands, roughly 

 in a straight line. This stratum decomposes naturally 

 and gives us a fertile soil, capable of supporting a numer- 

 ous population, and equally suitable for both arable 

 and pasture lands. 



Next in order comes the Weald Clay, which extends 

 in a broad triangle between the North and South Downs, 

 from the source of the Arun to the Channel coast between 

 Eastbourne and Dungeness. It is of itself a stiff, cold 

 soil, but under the influence of good drainage it becomes 

 highly fertile, and where overlaid by brick earth we 

 get country eminently suitable as hop ground. 



The Cretaceous or Chalk deposit is characteristic of 

 the North and South Downs themselves, and extends 

 therefrom westwards as far as Hampshire and Wiltshire, 

 and northwards via the Chiltern Hills as far as the Wash, 

 Qderlying also a considerable portion of the county of 

 incolnshire. Chalk hills' are usually bare of woods 

 d sacred to pasture, but the blade of the plough con- 

 mes to make inroads upon it, although this kind of 

 soil is stiff and cold as a rule. 



The London Clay is last, and comparatively a recent 



