6 VOELCKEE on the Scouring Lands 



Composition of a Lias- Clay Subsoil from Cossington. 



Water 3-05 



Organic matter and water of combination . . 5-11 



Oxides of iron and alumina 6 '98 



Carbonate of lime 40'93 



Alkalies and magnesia 2-96 



Insoluble siliceous matter (clay) 40'97 



100-00 



A large quantity of carbonate of lime enters into the composi- 

 tion of this extremely tenacious clay-marl, but nothing peculiar, 

 or in any way remarkable, occurs in it. 



Lastly, an analysis of a peat-soil from Meare gave the follow- 

 ing results : 



Composition of Peat-Land at Meare which does not scour. 



"Organic matter 97-760 



Oxides of iron and alumina '536 



Carbonate of lime . . . . '855 



Magnesia "144 



Potash -131 



Soda -065 



Phosphoric acid '053 



Sulphuric acid '051 



Silica -405 



"Containing nitrogen 1-428 



In its natural state this soil contained no less than 87*95 per 

 cent, of water, which shows how large a quantity of water peat 

 is capable of absorbing. 



This soil does not scour. It contains a very large proportion 

 of organic matter and a very small quantity of mineral sub- 

 stances ; the latter consist of the constituents usually found in 

 soils of that description. Apart from the excess of organic 

 matter in the peat-land, no essentially characteristic difference 

 can be said to separate the scouring soil from the healthy peaty 

 soil. In the immediate neighbourhood of Cirencester there are 

 hundreds of healthy fields which, in composition, closely approach 

 the three first-mentioned soils. It cannot therefore be said 

 with propriety, that lias-soils possessing scouring properties con- 

 tain anything injurious, or an excess of a constituent likely to 

 produce an unhealthy growth of herbage. Nevertheless I am 

 inclined to regard the soil of scouring land as the source from 

 which the mischief proceeds ; but the evil arises from its bad 

 physical condition, and certainly not from the presence of any 

 injurious matter in the surface or subsoil. I shall offer a few 



