chiefly between London and Sheffield. 46 1 



in spring by the leaves being a fortnight later in coming out than those of the 

 common English elm; and in their being, when expanded, much smaller, 

 and more pointed. Mr. Masters of Canterbury describes this tree, in our 

 Vol. XIII. p. 30., as the red English elm ; and observes that it is of rigid 

 growth, and one of the most valuable timber trees of the small-leaved kinds of 

 elms. The poles (for hops or other purposes) of this tree, Mr. Masters 

 observes, are nearly of equal diameter throughout. Wherever the English 

 elm will attain a timber size, and durable timber is the object, this variety 

 ought to have the preference; and we would recommend those who wish 

 to be quite certain of possessing it to apply to Mr. Masters, who propagates 

 upwards of twenty species and varieties of elms, and has for many years paid 

 particular attention to this family of trees. ( See Gardener 's Magazine as above, 

 and Arboretum Britannicnm, art. t/'lmus.) 



The following remarks apply partly to places that we saw between London 

 and Sheffield, and partly to others which we have subsequently seen in 

 Middlesex and Surrey. They are here brought together, because, for certain 

 reasons, we cannot give either the names of the places, or those of their 

 proprietors, or occupiers. 



Improving a Lawn liable to be burnt up in Summer by Drought. — Above twenty 



years ago, the lawn in front of a house at B was more or less burnt up 



every summer, in consequence of the sandy nature of the soil and subsoil. 

 We recommended taking out the subsoil to the depth of 1 ft. all over the lawn, 

 retaining the surface soil, and mixing it with loam from a meadow at no great 

 distance, by repeated trenchings. These trenchings were performed without 

 intermission, during dry weather ; and, we believe, above a dozen men were 

 employed for three weeks in trenching this lawn over three times. Had we 

 the same work to perform again, instead of manual labour we should apply 

 Finlayson's harrow or Kirkwood's grubber, either of which implements would 

 do the work better, and incomparably quicker. To get the work done 

 quickly is a very great advantage ; because by that means it may be completed 

 while the weather is dry, and every one who has had any experience in mixing 

 soils on a large scale, knows, that to do this properly in wet weather, or 

 partly in wet and partly in dry weather, is impossible. The conditions are, 

 that the two soils to be mixed should be in the same state of minute division, 

 and of dryness ; and that the soil to be added should first be evenly spread 

 over the other. For want of attending to these conditions, farmers sometimes 

 lay lime on land in such a manner that it can do little or no good ; viz. when 

 the lime is wet and the land dry, or the contrary ; or when both lime and 

 land are wet. To mix soils equally and thoroughly, and in such a way that 

 the mixture may remain mixed, both soils ought to be as nearly as possible in 

 a state of dry powder. Even when sand and loam, or lime and loam, are 

 mixed in this state, owing to the different specific gravities of sand and loam, 

 and of loam and lime, there will be a constant tendency in the mixture to 

 separate, by the sinking of the heavier soil or earth, when the mass is moist, 

 as explained in Vol. XIV. p. 96. Hence, all soils that are mixed artificially 

 require to be superintended by art (so to speak) for many years afterwards, in 

 order that they may at proper intervals of time be ploughed up or trenched, 

 so as to remix the heavier soil with the lighter. In the case of a lawn 

 treated as we have described in dry weather, if, immediately after mixing, the 

 soil be rolled hard while yet dry, having been previously (if necessary) pro- 

 perly underdrained and sown down, it will scarcely require remixing in a 

 lifetime ; but in the case of grass lands badly drained, or from any cause 

 liable to be soaked with water, remixing will become necessary, probably in 

 twenty or thirty years, according to the difference of the specific gravity 

 between the original soil and the soil which is added. Any one may prove 

 this, as suggested in Vol. XIV. p. 97., by filling two pots of earth with 

 soil of the same quality, placing at the bottom of one pot a layer of stable 

 dung, and at the top of the other a thin layer of lime. After a greater or 

 less number of years, according to the quantity of rain that has fallen on the 



