MIXTURE OF SOILS. 



MIXTURE OF SOILS 



up by the sea can be called soil) not affording 

 a single substance of any kind which could, to 

 any extent, be profitably mixed with the clay. 

 The attempt, therefore, was one of much more 

 difficulty than any case which usually presents 

 itself to the notice of the cultivator. It was not 

 a mere claying a poor sand or chalk, or peat, 

 either of which would assist in forming a ! 

 mould, but the entire soil had to be formed; 

 and this, it will be seen, was accomplished 

 successfully and profitably, and by manual la- 

 bour only. 



Some valuable observations and experi- 

 ments upon claying a light sand are contained 

 in the prize essay of Mr. Linton. The descrip- 

 tion of land he improved "was a light barren 

 sand ; the substratum a white sand, from 1 to 4 

 feel deep ; the surface of the same texture, but 

 darker in its colour, through the decomposition 

 of vegetable matter upon it. Beneath the bed 

 of sand lay a yellowish kind of clay, about 1 

 foot thick; under it a rich marl, about 18 feet 

 deep. The land generally being very wet, my 

 first object was to underdrain it thoroughly 

 with tiles ; unless this is first done, where ne- 

 cessary, marling is a waste of capital. I cut 

 my drains about 24 inches deep, and 9 yards 

 apart." As to the choice of clay, Mr. Linton 

 tested it with vinegar and water: the descrip- 

 tion he used " effervesced nearly as tartaric 

 acid and carbonate of soda do when mixed 

 together in water ; this was my test, that it con- 

 tained a quantity of carbonate of lime, which 

 rendered it fit for my purpose, and worthy of 

 the name of marl. I consider, that on the 

 proper testing and selection of the clay or marl 

 chiefly depends the success of marling opera- 

 tions. All clay will do good, there is no doubt, 

 but on the quality used must rest the amount 

 of benefit obtained." In these experiments 

 " the land was made completely level by the 

 plough-harrows, and in some places the spade, 

 after which it was ready for the marl being 

 laid on, which was done at all times of the 

 year ;" he prefers, however, doing this when 

 the land is in seeds. The quantity laid on 

 " varied from 100 to 200 cubic yards per acre, 

 the average 150 yards. Where the land was 

 very light and barren (which was mostly the 

 case on elevated parts), a larger quantity was 

 laid on ; but where it was a better soil, a much 

 less 'quantity answered the same purpose, my 

 object being to lay on just as much as would 

 grow wheat after seeds ; to do more than this 

 ''would have been an injury to the land, for eat- 

 ing tuinips upon it with sheep, and for the 

 barley crop; when sufficiently clayed to grow 

 wheat after seeds, a point requiring close at- 

 tention, I always found it effectually done for 

 any other crop. 



" The ini y in which it was done. It was neces- 

 sary, in the first place, to fix upon the most fa- 

 vourable situation for the pit, keeping three 

 oojects in view. 1. The most convenient place j 

 for carting to the plot of ground intended to be ! 

 marled. ^2. The best situation for a pond to ; 

 answer for a permanent watering-place,cutting, 

 if possible, across a fence, so as to water 2 fields, 

 one from each mouth of the pit. 3. Where the 

 clay could be got with the least difficulty. After 

 the. place was fixed upon, the work was carried t 



on by 5 diggers, a driver, 4 horses or beasts, 

 and 2 carts (which are of the Scotch kind, with 

 short bodies, and broad wheels) ; the pit was 

 dug with a gradual descent, so that 3 horses 

 could draw out about a ton, which was shot 

 out where wanted, the last returning by the 

 time the other was loaded : thus, 3 horses were 

 always ready for the loaded cart: the clay was 

 spread by the diggers, at broken times after 

 being exposed to the action of the air; rain, 

 after either frosty or droughty weather, would 

 cause it to fall to pieces, sufficiently for har- 

 rowing and ploughing in. The expense I paid 

 for digging, filling the carts, and spreading, was 

 from 4rf. to M. per cubic yard (full 1 ton), vary- 

 ing according to the quantity of stones im- 

 bedded in the clay ; the total expense per acre 

 was as follows : 



s. d. 

 Digging and spreading 150 yards, at 4|d. per 



yard 2 16 3 



4 horses 4 days, at 2. 6rf. each, 10s. per day - 2 

 Driver 4 days, at 2s . 6d. per day - - - 10 

 Other expenses (wear and tear) - - - 3 



Total expenses in marling 1 acre 



- 5 9 8 



Mr. Linton marled 80 acres in this way ; but by 

 employing a windlass to draw the carts out of 

 the pit, he reduced the expenses per acre 7s. 

 As regards the improvement of the land by 

 marling, the value of the produce in 4 years 

 before marling was 



s. d. 



14 7 



In four years after draining : 



When marled upon seeds - - - - 24 16 6 

 When marled upon fallow - - - - 22 15 



Balance in favour of marling upon seeds - 216 



"The land," Mr. Linton adds, "is never so 

 productive the first 2 years (or until the clay 

 has got well pulverized and mixed with the 

 sand) as it is afterwards, and it will not grow 

 a good crop or a fine sample of barley for 5 or 

 6 years after the clay is laid on. I have there- 

 fore sown oats instead. If people (he con- 

 cludes) would improve the land they have, 

 particularly light land, by draining, marling, 

 &c., they would realize a far greater return for 

 the outlay than by purchasing more." (Journ. 

 Roy. Agr. Soc. vol. ii. p. 67.) 



From these facts the cultivator, I think, will 

 arrive at the conclusion, that the judicious ad- 

 mixture of soils, and other applications of 

 manual labour, for the purpose of increasing 

 their productiveness, can hardly fail, sooner or 

 later, to amply repay him for the labour he thus 

 employs. It is an improvement, let him re- 

 member, that, when once accomplished, lasts 

 forever, since the very character of the soil is 

 changed; his organic manures, such as farm- 

 yard compost, oil-cake, and even bones, are 

 gradually dissolved or decomposed, and disap- 

 pear from the land, are absorbed by his crops, 

 or evolved in the gases of putrefaction ; but no 

 such results arise from either deepening the 

 soil or the addition of the earths, they, when 

 once united to the soil, remain there to increase 

 the crops, to lessen the toils, and to add to the 

 profits of succeeding cultivators, even in dis- 

 tant periods. And to effect these important, 



