THE NORTH DOWNS 57 



the deep loams and brick earths overlying the lower 

 slopes of the chalk, more open country with ordinary 

 mixed farming is seen ; indeed, a little to the south of 

 Canterbury the hops cease and a typical chalk sheep 

 and corn country sets in as far as Dover. 



After we left the rich " ragstone " soils we crossed 

 once again the narrow Gault clay valley we had seen 

 both in Wiltshire and in Sussex, rose a little on to 

 the chalk-marl terrace here, as there, forming strong 

 corn land and then climbed the steep escarpment of 

 the chalk. But when the top of the North Downs is 

 reached there is little or no open sheep walk ; instead, 

 we came to a country of dense woods and small grass 

 enclosures underlain by a stiff clay soil ten feet thick 

 or more. This superficial Clay-with-Flints is too 

 heavy for profitable cultivation on the top of the ridge, 

 but lower down the slope towards Faversham and 

 Sittingbourne it gives rise to good strong corn land, 

 and even carries fruit and hops. The best farming in 

 East Kent is concentrated on a strip of land bordering 

 the old Dover road and the railway between Rochester 

 and Canterbury ; but, superb as are the crops, the 

 district has a dusty, harsh, businesslike look which 

 renders it very unattractive. It may be the chimneys 

 of the cement works along the Medway, which are 

 generally visible smoking on the horizon, or the de- 

 plorable yellow brick villas, or only the prevailing dry 

 east-windy atmosphere, but this East Kent country 

 rarely suggests agricultural richness. Even its famous 

 cherry orchards only look neat and trim, with neither 

 the lush grass below nor the exquisite patina of moss 

 and lichen which characterize a Devonshire orchard. 

 The cherries are, as a rule, grown in grass, as are a 

 good many of the apple orchards in this district. The 

 young standards are planted in the arable or with 



