SOIL. 5 



rabbit-warrens and sheep-walk heaths, and has a most de- 

 solate and dreary aspeft. It is, however, highly improve- 

 able by the marie and chalk, or cork, which is almost 

 every where found under the surface. Much has been 

 broken up in the last 20 years ; but much remains to be 

 done. The improvement of this distri6l has been long 

 impeded, from an idea that the white chalky marie would 

 not answer carrying ; and what they call good clay is 

 scarce ; but modern experiments have, or rather are, at 

 present, working out these erroneous ideas ; and under the 

 article oi Manures, will be found some satisfactory trials, 

 which speak a different language. 



The north-eastern angle, of better sand, contains large 

 tradls of excellent land, intermixed with a good deal of an 

 inferior quality. Here is found the agriculture to which 

 the general epithet of Norfolk husbandry peculiarly be- 

 longs. The improvements wrought here from 60 to 70 

 years ago, first gave rise to, and afterwards established, 

 the celebrity of the county: rents have risen from is. to 

 to 15s. and from is. 6d. and 2s. to 203. A country of 

 rabbits and sheep-walk has been covered with some of 

 the finest corn in the world ; and, by dint of manage- 

 ment, what was thus gained, has been preserved and im- 

 proved, even to the present moment. 



To tlie west of the light sand distri6l is a small trail of 

 various soils, between the Stoke and the Sechy rivers, and 

 bounded on the west by the river Ouze. Here is much 

 good sand, some strong wet clayey loams, and on the 

 Ouze a line of lich marsh. 



Still more to ihe west, and cut off by the Ouze from 

 the rest of the county, lies the rich distriil of marsh- 

 land; the larger part of which is a marine silt on a clay 

 basis, at various dejjths. In some traifls the clay mixes with 

 the silt to the surface, and forms the richer grazing lands. 



The distridl of various loams comprehends the larger 

 E 2 part 



