SCOURING LANDS OF CENTRAL SOMERSET. 



SCOURING lands, though by no means confined to the lias-forma- 

 tion, occur most frequently in localities where heavy, tenacious, 

 dark-coloured soils rest upon^ yellow or blue lias clay. Central 

 Somerset unfortunately abounds in pastures which are " tart " 

 and exhibit this peculiarity in a very characteristic and virulent 

 manner. Many of the upland and border pastures on the 

 northern side of the Polden Hills, and immediately skirting the 

 moors forming the great Brue Level, possess in a high degree the 

 property of scouring cattle, more especially dairy cows during 

 the summer months. The Polden Hills, indeed, are notorious for 

 the prevalence of scouring land. Such land occurs to the east of 

 the district just mentioned in the direction of Pilton, Pennard, 

 and Shepton Mallet, but in the northern and western parts of the 

 county scouring pastures are rarely found. Some of the worst 

 land in this respect, I understand, may be found in the parish 

 of Cossington, on the northern side of the Polden Hills. To this 

 locality my attention was particularly directed : I therefore visited 

 this district last summer and personally made inquiries into all 

 the facts and local opinions deemed likely to throw light on the 

 cause or causes of this mysterious peculiarity, which more or less 

 prevails in the neighbourhoods of Walton, Shapwick, Edington, 

 Baltonsborough, Pennard, Pylle, Barton St. David, Puddimore, 

 Load, Othery, Burtle, Butleigh, Street, Edgarly^ and other 

 localities. 



Scouring land, however, is not confined to Central Somerset, 

 nor to blue lias-clay ; for in Gloucestershire and other counties 

 scouring pastures here and there occur. Thus in the neighbour- 

 hood of Cirencester certain pastures exhibit this peculiarity, 

 although they are not situated in the lias but in the oolite forma- 

 tion. In every instance that has been brought under my notice, 

 however, I find that scouring land rests on an impervious yellow 

 or blue-coloured clay subsoil of considerable depth. Most fre- 

 quently the subsoil is a true lias-clay, but examples are not 

 wanting in which scouring land rests on forest-marble clay, 

 Oxford clay, and clays of the great oolite formation. 



Respecting the cause why cattle scour during the summer 

 months on certain pastures and not on others, many conjectures 

 have been made and various theories suggested ; but not one 

 explanation, however reasonable it may appear in a particular 

 instance, takes into account the multiplicity of facts which really 



