396 On Maiden, or Virgin, Soil. 



then receive, in their turns, the full influence of the sun, which is 

 most essential for the perfecting of peaches, and also for the 

 cultivation of other plants of various kinds; and it is better thus 

 to have the means of exposure at pleasure of the trees and 

 plants, than to take all the lights off at once. 



In curvilinear roofs (not having seen one properly ventilated) 

 I beg leave further to suggest, that, besides admitting air under 

 the roofs and from the doors, there should, for effectual ven- 

 tilation, be, at about every 10 ft., two astragals, say at 4 ft. apart, of 

 sufficient strength to admit of ventilators to revolve on pivots or 

 rings, so as to open either inside or outside, or both, as may 

 be thought eligible ; the width of the ventilators to be regulated 

 as most convenient ; perhaps 2 ft., divided so as to fold, would 

 be the best. — Baysivater, March, 1842. 



[Since this was in type, we have observed a similar article, by Mr. Torbron, 

 in the Gardener's Gazette of July 23. Had Mr. Torbron, when he left the 

 article with us, stated that he had sent a copy to another Journal, we should 

 of course not have published it ; but it is now (July 25.) too late.] 



Art. VI. On Maiden, or Virgin, Soil. By R. Lymburn. 



In the Number of the Magazine for February, Mr. Wighton 

 had an article on the above subject, in which he takes notice of 

 an article of mine that appeared last year on the same subject 

 in the Gazette, under the signature R., from which he ap- 

 peared to differ, and to which I have only now had time to reply. 

 The difference is more in the application of the term than any 

 thing else. Mr. Wighton has confined the term to the surface 

 of land that has long lain uncultivated, and he seems to consider 

 the principal benefits to arise from a crust of organic matter de- 

 posited during the time the land has lain in an uncultivated state. 

 I have always, however, understood the term to apply to unculti- 

 vated, or untouched, soil, as the name would seem to infer, 

 whether from land long uncultivated at the surface or trenched 

 up from below that which has been too long in cultivation ; the 

 old effete soil being deposited in the bottom, and a fresh surface 

 of virgin, or untouched, soil brought to the top. It is true, as 

 Mr. Wighton says, that the organic matter deposited by the lapse 

 of time in uncultivated soils is very beneficial; it is sometimes 

 also in excess, and hurtful. Were the sole benefit, however, de- 

 rived from the organic matter deposited during the period of rest, 

 it would be easy to remedy this defect in the too much cultivated 

 soil, by the addition of manures. The addition of manure, how- 

 ever, is found in practice not to remedy the defect ; in fact, some 

 of these old worn-out soils are rather in the other state, and 

 have got into a black half-peaty condition, from the quantity of 



