THE SOIL AND CLIMATE. 5 



called London clay, from which bricks are made for the 

 buildings of the immense capital, and which is tilled only 

 with difficulty. The counties of Essex, Surrey, and 

 Kent, as well as Middlesex, belong to this clay bed, 

 called in England stiff land, and well known to every 

 agriculturist as exceedingly troublesome, which aggra- 

 vates still further the coldness of the climate. Left to 

 itself, this clay never dries in England; and when not 

 transformed by manure and improved by draining, farmers 

 despair of making anything of it. It prevails through- 

 out the south-east, and also makes its appearance in many 

 parts of the midland districts, as well as in the east and 

 north. 



A long band of chalky lands of indifferent quality runs 

 through this great bed of clay from south to north, form- 

 ing the greater portion of the counties of Hertford, Wilts, 

 and Hants ; the chalk shows itself almost in a pure state 

 on the surface. 



The sandy clay lands, with calcareous subsoil, and 

 the loams of the lower valleys, occupy only about four 

 millions of hectares. The rivers in this narrow island 

 being shorter, and the valleys more confined than in 

 other countries, alluvial lands are rather scarce. It is 

 the light soils which predominate, what were formerly 

 called poor lands. These, not very long ago, were ex- 

 tensive moors, coming up to the very gates of London on 

 the west ; but now, through cultivation, they have become 

 almost as productive as the loams. A special method of 

 working, suited to their nature, was necessary, in order 

 to turn them to such good account. 



It is the same with the climate. British agriculturists 

 have known well how to avail themselves of the pecu- 

 liarities in their climate, for in itself there is nothing 

 very seductive about it. Its mists and rains are pro- 



