ENGLISH AGRICULTURE. 73 



The two offer a great contrast to one another the upper 



k greensand giving fertile soil, and the lower greensand giving 

 not only barren, but almost completely worthless and sterile 

 tracts. 

 The lowest portions of the lower chalk rest upon the upper 

 portions of the upper greensand. The junction usually 

 occurs upon the north and west flanks or slopes of the chalk 

 hills. There we may expect a singularly excellent soil, 

 whether in Cambridgeshire or in Bedfordshire, or at almost 

 any point within the line ; at Devizes, Warminster, or 

 Shaftesbury, for example, the soils are of exceptional fertility. 

 The gault clay is a formation which does not cover a large 

 area. Where it does appear it gives a soil of great tenacity, 

 ceedingly expensive to work, and not very promising for 

 ricultural purposes, especially at the present day. The 

 ault clay, however, only forms a comparatively small portion 

 f the surface of this country, its greatest development being 

 the county of Kent in the neighbourhood of Sevenoaks, 

 here a great deal of the characteristic gluey clay of this 

 formation occurs. The lower greensand frequently extends 

 moorlands carrying heather, stunted and coarse herbage, 

 .nd underwood. It is composed largely of silver sand, and 

 f other sandy loose material, which, although useful to 

 ardeners for potting purposes, has little true agricultural 

 alue. There is a large extension of the soils of the lower 

 greensand in North Kent around Godalming, Dorking, and 

 south of Maidstone, as may be seen in travelling from 

 London to Hastings, or from London to Brighton, when no 

 ne can fail to be struck with the barren character of the 

 istricts through which he passes. 



The next geological formation is the weald of Sussex 

 .d Kent. This forms a thoroughly well-defined agricul- 

 tural district, and it may be described as partly consisting 

 of heavy clay, and partly of soil of a lighter character, 





