108 The soil cmd the countryside 



for golf links, especially some of the dry, invigorating 

 sands by the seaside. The famous links at St Andrews, 

 and at Littlestone, are examples. 



In between the fertile and the barren sands come a 

 number that are cultivated without being very good. 

 They are much like the others, carrying a vegetation 

 that is usually of the narrow leaved type (p. 72), and 

 not very dense. On the road sides you see broom, 

 heather, heath, harebells, along with gorse and bracken 

 with milkwort nestling underneath : crested dog's tail 

 and sheep's fescue are common grasses, while spurrey, 

 knotweed, corn marigold, are a few of the numerous 

 weeds in the arable fields. Gardens are easily dug, but 

 it is best to put into them only those plants that, like 

 the native vegetation, can withstand drought : vegetable 

 gardens must be well manured and well limed. Fig. 50 

 shows some of this kind of country in Surrey, the barley 

 field is surrounded by wood and very poor grass on the 

 higher slopes. 



It is easy to travel in a sand country because the 

 roads dry very quickly after rain, although they may be 

 dusty in summer. Sometimes the lanes are sunk rather 

 deeply in the soft sand, forming very pretty banks on 

 either side. 



Loams, as we have seen (p. 2), lie in between sands 

 and clays : they are neither very wet nor very dry : not 

 too heavy nor yet too light : they are very well suited 

 to our ordinary farm crops, and they form by far the 

 best soils for general farming ; wheat, oats, barley, sheep, 

 cattle, milk, fruit and vegetables can all be produced: 

 indeed the farmer on a good loam is in the fortunate 

 position of being able to produce almost anything he 

 finds most profitable. In a loam district that does not 



