36 



On Subsoil- Ploughing. 



I have now exhausted all the materials at present in my pos- 

 session which bear upon the subject before us : and, by way of 

 recapitulation, he^ to express my entire concurrence with Mr. 

 Black's opinion, that for moor-pan or sandy soils, where any in- 

 crustation has been formed at the depth of the ordinary furrow, 

 the subsoil -plough cannot be too highly appreciated. 1 am even 

 inclined to go further, and to think, with Mr. Denison, that on 

 deep sands, or even sandy loams, the depth of soil stirred is of 

 great importance to vegetation. To test this opinion, I have had 

 a very light subsoil-plough made by Mr. Buxton, of Mai ton, 

 which, with four horses, stirs 12, or even 14, inches of the light 

 loam on which it has been tried ; and the effect of this ploughing 

 on turnips and other root-crops I hope to give to the public in 

 some future Number of " The Transactions." With respect to 

 stiff soils, I must repeat my conviction that, by trials on clays of 

 various degrees of stiffness — the stiffness of the soil not being 

 guessed at, but ascertained by careful analysis — we may soon dis- 

 cover the average per centage of pure clay which will justify a 

 prudent farmer in incurring the expence and labour of subsoil - 

 ploughing. 



Kirby-Hall, Dec, 1840. 



The following directions and list of charges have been fur- 

 nished, at my request, by Mr. Spence, Pavement, York. 



Any soil collected for analysis should be supplied to the 

 chemist in quantity of about one pound. 



From some part of the field where it appears to be of an aver- 

 age quality several spadesful should be taken ; when this has 

 been thoroughly mixed, a quantity of it should be placed under 

 a shed, upon a clean board, and spread into a thin layer. Upon 

 being turned over frequently, during three or four days, it will 

 have become of a proper dryness. It should then be folded in 

 stiff paper, upon which the name of the occupier of the land, 

 with his place of residence, and the designation, if any, (or other- 

 wise a number,) of the field from which it has been taken, should 

 be distinctly inscribed. 



The following scale of charges has been drawn up in order to 

 facilitate the obtaining of information on any particular point 

 without incurring needless expence. 



For finding in any Specimen of Soil the Quantity — 



s. d. 



1st. Of vegetable and animal matter .... 5 0 



2nd. Of calcareous earth 5 0 



Srd. Of matter soluble in water 5 0 



