70 An Account of the Soil [pt. i 



the lower ground (or wood, if the ground is wet), and 

 woodland or nuts on the higher ground. But near the 

 sea and this holds generally round the coast fruit can 

 be grown with advantage on the lower ground. 



Climate and soil, however, do not entirely determine 

 what crops shall be grown, although they certainly play 

 a great part. Agriculture is always pursued for profit, 

 and the cultivator does not necessarily go in for the crop 

 that naturally grows best on the land, but the one that 

 pays best. Thus a set of economic factors comes into 

 play, working along with the climatic factors and with 

 them determining what crops shall and what shall not 

 be grown. It is impossible to overlook these economic 

 considerations in any real study of soil fertility, but as 

 we must keep our subject within reasonable bounds we 

 can only indicate their general nature. 



As the produce of the land has to be sold it obviously 

 must be got to the market; chief among the economic 

 factors is therefore the question of transport. From 

 this point of view live stock presents least difficulties; 

 animals can be made to walk to market while crops have 

 to be carried. Sheep, cattle, and horses therefore tend to 

 become the mainstay of agriculture in countries desti- 

 tute of transport facilities. But where transport is 

 possible wheat or maize becomes the most convenient 

 product, for either will keep almost indefinitely so long 

 as it remains dry, suffering little if any deterioration, 

 however long the journey to market may take, and, 

 what is more important from the settler's point of view, 

 both are always saleable. On the other hand, fruit and 

 vegetables will not keep and can only be grown where 

 transport facilities are good. 



History repeats itself with but little variation in the 



