38 ON THE USE OF LIME, MARL, AND SHELL-SAND. 



The first of these soils is a stiff red soil, which contains a few 

 flints, but is otherwise free from stones. It dries up to a hard 

 mass like bricks, and is full of white particles, showing that this 

 soil has been liberally limed. 



The second soil resembles the first very much in its general 

 characters, and also exhibits white particles of lime. It is 

 evident that these soils are naturally poor in lime, and therefore 

 much improved by liming. 



The red clay soils, situated on the old red sandstone forma- 

 tion round Torquay, also are much benefited by lime, for natu- 

 rally these soils contain but little lime, and the lime mentioned 

 in the subjoined analysis of a soil from the estate of Mr. Brunei, 

 near Torquay, arises chiefly from the artificial supply of this 

 element. 



Composition of Red Clay Soil from the neighbourhood of Torquay. 



Moisture 5'700 



Organic matter and water of combination . . 6*820 



Oxides of iron and alumina 8' 920 



Carbonate of lime 2'580 



Magnesia -249 



Potash and soda '471 



Soluble silica -880 



Insoluble silicious matter 74-380 



lOO'OOO 



More friable red coloured clay soils, containing more sand 

 than the preceding but naturally very deficient in lime, abound 

 in the neighbourhood of Wellington and Bridgewater, as well as 

 in many other localities in Somersetshire and Devonshire. In 

 order to present at a glance the chemical characters of these 

 kinds of soils, I have arranged in a tabular form a number of 

 analyses of soils which I had an opportunity of examining : 



Composition of Soils from Bridgewater (No. I.), Wellington (No. II.), 

 and Totnes (Nos. III. and IV.). 



a. MECHANICAL ANALYSIS. 



No. I. No. II. No. III. No. IV. 



Moisture 1-15 1-27 14'90 11'68 



Organic matter and water of combination 8'45 4*36 6'48 8'58 



Lime 2'47 '92 '74 2'98 



Sand 43'50 58'08 53*70 58'90 



Clay .. 44-43 35'37 24'18 17*86 



100-00 100-00 100-00 100-00 



