SOILS ANB THEIR COMPOSITION 157 



it is despatched to the potteries to be turned into cups 

 and saucers. 



Clay soils by themselves are the reverse of sandy ones 

 and hold too much moisture, which renders them cold 

 and sour. They need much working, and as stated the 

 admixture of hot lime to break them up. A simple test 

 for sourness is to take a little clay in a cup and add 

 enough water to soften it, after which a Uttle hydro- 

 chloric acid should be poured on. If fizzing takes place, 

 lime is there and all is well, but should there be an omin- 

 ous stillness, a good quickhme dressing should be appUed 

 at once. 



Loam is a happy medium between sand and clay. The 

 beau ideal of all gardeners and growers is to have a deep 

 dark loam to work in, a " loamy loam " as they like to 

 call it, with plenty of humus or decayed organic matter 

 incorporated with it. If a grower is thus fortunately 

 situated half his work is done for him, as with all other 

 soils constant efforts must be made to correct them and 

 bring them as near as possible to the composition of 

 loam. 



Marl is a hardish substance, formerly a light clay and 

 now mingled with a certain amount of lime. On the 

 surface it decomposes, and hence when well worked marl 

 becomes a very fertile soil. Persons travelling to the 

 West Country for the first time must have noticed the 

 red soil that suddenly marks the entry into Devonshire. 

 This marl soil provides good arable and fruit ground. 

 Marl being a hybrid soil does not strictly speaking come 

 under a main heading, as it is really a mixture of clay and 

 chalk. 



Peat occurs where there has been an opportunity for 

 continuous generations of plants to live and die on the 

 same spot, thus accumulating a mass of decayed vegetable 

 matter. It is almost devoid of Hme or chalk and is as 

 a consequence sour, requiring the admixture of the chalky 

 element with grit to make it a satisfactory growing 



