ENGLISH AGRICULTURE. 45 



ash, sycamore, walnut, mulberry, and hawthorn, all growing 

 luxuriantly, attaining a great size ; and we cannot then have 

 much doubt that the ground is good. On the other hand, 

 a puny class of timber gives an opposite impression. Do not, 

 however, be led away by large beeches, because the beech is 

 capable of growing upon a poor thin soil ; such beeches as 

 may be seen at Blenheim, or in Gloucestershire at Oakley 

 Park, are splendid samples of timber, but still it is beech. 

 Beech will attain its height and size, but is not any indication 

 of fertility. There are also many conifers, such as larch or 

 Scotch fir and spruce, which grow to a large size even upon 

 poor soil. They are, in fact, a great boon to the owners of 

 poor soils. There are also birch, varieties of poplar, black- 

 thorn (in contradistinction to whitethorn), and alder. All 

 of these trees will grow upon very poor and wet soils, and 

 although the list might be extended, it is sufficient for my 

 purpose to draw attention to the fact that good timber is 

 an indication of good land, while puny timber is the reverse. 

 At the same time, we must take into consideration the sort 

 of timber, and by an examination of this feature we shall 

 be assisted in our judgment. Hawthorn has been already 

 mentioned. There is an old saying among practical men, 

 that " bad land never grew a good thorn." Good thorn 

 hedges are a very excellent indication of the fertility of land. 

 We will take, in the next place, as a further natural fea- 

 ture, the permanent pastures. Permanent pasture is an 

 excellent indication of fertility or the reverse, because it is 

 often unsophisticated. In most districts permanent pasture 

 remains much as it was in the beginning, whereas arable land 

 has either been improved by good farming or has suffered 

 by bad farming. Permanent pasture is a good indication of 

 natural fertility. Good permanent pasture is of a rich and 

 lovely green. That peculiarity is of the greatest value as an 

 indication of quali ty in early spring. All pastures are green 



