416 



Farming of Surrey. 



most unprofitable clajs, the expense of tillage and the small 

 produce yielded by the cultivation of the land render the pro- 

 priety of displacing the " weed " of that district very question- 

 able. The oak, therefore, under such circumstances is likely to 

 flourish undisturbed, to the detriment of all other crops. 



The effect of Soil on the Growth of Timber Trees. — Surrey is 

 a richly -wooded county, and, as may be supposed from the 

 nature of its soils, possesses every variety of timber trees. Per- 

 haps the most luxuriant trees are to be found on the deep clay 

 of the gait, where the oak, the elm, and the ash are most com- 

 mon. On the sands of the western part of the county the oak 

 and elm are scarcely to be found, and are miserably stunted in 

 their growth, the soil being too poor in some cases to produce 

 even the fir itself. The poor brows, which are so common 

 throughout the greensand to the south of the downs, are gene- 

 rally covered with gorse or fir plantations, or are devoted to 

 the growth of underwood for the purpose of making hurdles and 

 hoops ; while the hedge-rows on the loams produce freely oak, 

 elm, and ash. 



On the thin soil of the chalk-ridge beech and yew are plenti- 

 ful ; some noble specimens of the former are found on the loams 

 of the Wotton Woods, which were planted by the celebrated 

 Evelyn. The chestnut is found in almost every locality, but the 

 most noble trees grow on dry loamy soil, as at Albury Park. 



On the London clay elm grows most freely. The Weald, 

 which at some distant period formed one entire forest, and 

 which has gradually been reclaimed and made arable to supply 

 the wants of its inhabitants, has been long noted for producing 

 the oak in its greatest perfection. And even now there is no 

 crop which, in certain situations, is more profitable : upon the 

 most difficult and profitless clays, where the scantiness of the 

 produce is no compensation for the labour and expense of culti- 

 vation, the oak remains as the staple production of the soil, and 

 here it attains perfection both in the nobleness of its size and 

 the durability of its timber. The slowness of its growth seems 

 to be one great cause for this latter excellence, since, upon 

 richer and warmer soils, where the trees grow much more 

 rapidly, they are invariably softer and less durable in their wood. 

 Every part of the tree seems equally favoured in this locality, 

 and lark from the Weald is that which is most highly prized by 

 the tanner. 



The above brief sketch will form an indication of the kinds 

 of trees which are to be found in various situations — a know- 

 ledge .which, to an attentive observer, is often a correct indica- 

 tion of the soil. 



The suitableness or otherimse of the Farm- Buildings to improved 



