Dr. Voelcker's Notes. 205 



APPENDIX IV. 



Note by De. Voblckbr on comparison op the soils of 

 OLD Cheviot tdef and pivb-ybae-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, bnt on 

 which Mr. EUiot 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 Inatted form, as was the case 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 soU being formed almost to the very top. The 

 re-action of the topsoU 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 diSerent layers, and average samples of the 

 whole, were taken in the case of both soUs, and the vegetable 



