CHAPTER III 



THE COMPOSITION OF THE ROTHAMSTED SOIL 



THE Eothamsted soil was described by Lawes in the first paper 

 he contributed to the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 

 in 1847, as follows: "The soil upon which my experiments 

 were tried consists of rather a heavy loam resting upon chalk, 

 capable of producing good wheat when well manured ; not 

 sufficiently heavy for beans, but too heavy for good turnips or 

 barley. The average produce of "wheat in the neighbourhood 

 is said to be less than 22 bushels per acre, wheat being grown 

 once in five years. The rent varies from 20s. to 26s. per acre, 

 tithe free." 



The geological character of the Eothamsted soils has been 

 thus described by Mr H. B. Woodward, F.E.S. : "The geology 

 of the Eothamsted estate is comparatively simple. Chalk 

 forms the foundation of the entire area, but it is exposed only 

 on the slopes. The plateau ground is covered with a very 

 mixed deposit of clay-with-flints, with remnants of the mottled 

 clays, sands, and pebble-beds of the Eeading series, and also of 

 remnants of drift gravel. The low grounds are occupied by 

 valley gravel." 



" The experimental fields belonging to the Lawes Agricul- 

 tural Trust are entirely on the mixed deposit of clay-with- 

 flints, etc." 



"The chalk, which is extensively * piped/ appears here and 

 there in irregular pinnacles near the surface. It is usually lined 

 with stiff red or dark brown clay-with-flints, the joints in 



