Note hy Dr. Voeloker. 169 



APPENDIX IV. 



NOTE BY DR. VOELOKER 



ON COMPARISON OP THE SOILS OP OLD CHEVIOT TURP AND 

 PIVE-YBAR-OLD PASTURE. 



An examination which I made of two samples of soil from the 

 Clifton-on-Bowmont farm — the one being from old hill-side Cheviot 

 turf, which has been unploughed from time immemorial, and the 

 other from a spot only a few yards off the other, but on which Mr. 

 Elliot has adopted his new system — yields results which may have 

 some interest. 



The new pasture was five-year-old. 



The old hill-side turf showed on the surface some coarse, mostly 

 dead, tufty grass, which could in great part be pulled up easily with 

 the hand. Then came a top-layer of black peaty matter extending 

 4-5 inches deep, and in this was a mass of roots crowded together, but 

 not passing down freely and regularly into the subsoil. On testing 

 the peaty portion with litmus paper, it was found to be extremely 

 acid. It also held a considerable quantity of moisture. The soil 

 below this retained to some extent the acid character, and then a 

 more stony subsoil was reached. 



The five-year-old pasture, on the other hand, had on the surface a 

 very fair covering of good grasses, cocksfoot being prominent. The 

 roots from these grasses and other plants did not collect together in 

 a matted form, as was the ease with the old Cheviot turf ; but they 

 went down into the subsoil strongly and regularly. There was no 

 accumulation of humus matter in excess, true soil being formed almost 

 to the very top. The reaction of the topsoil to litmus paper was only 

 slightly acid, and this disappeared entirely in the subsoil. The soil 

 was not nearly so spongy and moisture-holding as was the Cheviot 

 turf, but seemed in a good physical condition throughout. 



Portions of the different layers, and average samples of the whole, 

 were taken in the case of both soils, and the vegetable matter, 

 moisture, and nitrogen determined. The principal results were : — 



Clieviot Turf.Five-yr.-oldPasture. 



Vegetable (organic) matter in average 

 of soil to nine inches depth 

 in first mc\i .. . 

 „ second ,, ... 

 , , next five inches ... 



'containing nitrogen 



Moisture — 

 in topsoil 

 ,, subsoil 



