ARABLE Land. 



Below this are very poor rye lands. 



Ill all these soils tlie depth is sup- 

 posed the same, and the quality uni- 

 form to the depth of at least 6 inch- 

 es ; the subsoil sound, and neither 

 too wet nor too dry. 



Nos. 1, '2. and 3 are alluvial soils, 

 and, from the division and the inti- 

 mate union of the humus, are not so 

 heavy and stiff as the quantity of :;lay 

 would indicate. 



No. 4 is a rich clay loam, neither 

 too heavy nor too loose ; a soil ea- 

 sily kept m heart by judicious culti- j 

 vatiou 



No. 5 is very light and rich, and 

 best adap ed lor gardens and or- 

 chards, hut not for corn ; hence its 

 comparative value can scarcely be 

 given. 



Nos. 6, 7, and 8 are good soils ; 

 the quantity of carbonate of lime in 

 No. 8 compensates for the smaller 

 portion of humus. This land requires 

 manure, as well as the others below. 

 In those from No. 9 downward lime ; 

 or marl would he the greatest iin- ' 

 provement. Nos. 15 and 16 are poor 

 light soils, rccpiiring clay and much 

 manure ; but even these lands will 

 repay the cost of judicious cultiva- | 

 lion, and rise in value. 



The last column, of comparative I 

 value, is the result of several years' ' 

 careful valuation of the returns, after 

 labour and seed had been deducted. ', 



Few old sods contain more than 4 

 or 5 per cent, of humus, even when 

 in very good heart; and 2 per cent., 

 with a good loamy texture, will ren- 

 der a soil lit for corn with judicious 

 cidtivation. The texture is of most 

 importance, as may be seen by com- 

 paring Nos. 7 and 8 with No. 6. If 

 this is of good quality, dung will soon 

 give the proper supply of humus. 



The depth of the soil and the na- 

 ture of the subsoil greatly affect its 

 value. However rich it may be, if, 

 tlifre is only a thin layer of good soil 

 over a sharp gravel or a wet clay, it 

 can never lie very productive : in the 

 first case, it will be parched in dry 

 weather : and in the latter, convert- 

 ed into mud by every continued rain. 

 If the subsoil be loam, six inches of i 



good soil will be sufficient. With a 

 toot of good soil, the subsoil is (tf lit- 

 tle consequence, provided it be dry, 

 and the water can find a ready outlet. 



The exposure, with respect to the 

 sun, and the declivity of the ground, 

 are very important circumstances, 

 and equivalent to an actual differ- 

 ence in the climate. A gentle de- 

 clivity towards the south, and a shel- 

 ter against cold winds, may make as 

 great a difference as several degrees 

 of latitude. 



2. CuLTivATiov OF THE SoiL. — The 

 better tiie soil, the less cultivation it 

 requires to produce tolerable crops; 

 hence, where the land is very rich, 

 we find in general a slovenly culture ; 

 where the ground is less productive, 

 more labour and skill are applied to 

 compensate for the want of natural 

 fertility. The simplest cultivation is 

 that of the spade, the hoe, and the 

 rake, and on a small scale it is the 

 best ; but spade husbandry cannot 

 be carried to a great extent without 

 employing more hands than can be 

 spared from other occupations. The 

 plough, drawn by oxen or horses, is 

 the chief instrument of tillage, and 

 has been so in all ages and nations 

 of which we have any records. Its 

 general form is familiar to every one, 

 and requires no minute description. 

 The various kinds of ploughs in use 

 at different times, and the improve- 

 ments which have been made and 

 are attempted daily, will be noticed 

 in a separate article (see Plough). 

 Suffice It to say, at present, that a 

 plough should, as much as possible, 

 imitdte ihe work done with a sp;ide. 

 It should cut a slice from the land 

 by its coulter vertically, and by the 

 share horizontally lift it up, and" turn 

 It quite over by means of the mould- 

 board ; and the art of the ploughman 

 consists in doing this perfectly, and 

 with such a depth and width as 

 suit the soil and the intended pur- 

 pose. In tenacious soils the slice 

 will be continued without breaking, 

 especially if bound by the fibres and 

 roots of plants ; the whole surface 

 will be turned over, and the roots 

 exposed to the air. It is of great 



85 



