436 



Farming of Herefordshire, 



the Silurian system is into three, and in the district under con- 

 sideration, the geological features correspond with the agricul- 

 tural character of the superposed soils. Thus the upper division 

 of the old red sandstone is rocky and silicious. Its most in- 

 fertile aspect is to be seen in the vicinity of the black mountains. 

 Even in this bleak district a considerable amount of good land 

 is to be found, owing to the same convulsion which upheaved 

 the quartzose upper beds having at the same time caused the 

 middle or cornstone group to crop out in many adjacent parts, 

 so that the mixture of the debris from each has formed a kindly 

 though not very deep loam. In the large flat sandy district, 

 of which the town of Iloss is nearly the centre, and which occu-" 

 pies nearly the whole of the southern part of the county, and 

 extends from the county of Gloucester to Monmouth, no such 

 countervailing advantage exists, and the result is seen in a light 

 sandy district which has obtained the title of " The Ryelands," 

 ovv^ing to its not being capable of growing with equal advantage 

 any other crop than rye. From the fact, however, of its being 

 very level, and possessing no great declivities, the abrading and 

 impoverishing effects produced by rains is not here seen. Almost 

 adjoining the district just noticed, and immediately to the north- 

 ward, is the small tract of gravelly soil around the city of 

 Hereford. 



Surrounding the last-described district, and occupying a full 

 third of the county, is the middle or cornstone division of the 

 old red sandstone. The decomposition of the calcareous nodules, 

 when intermixed with the ferruginous and argillaceous particles 

 of the accompanying rocks, forms the rich red marls and soils of 

 Herefordshire ; and when a fair proportion of sand accompanies 

 these substances, a fine open loam is formed, on which the most 

 luxuriant crops of wheat and hops are produced ; this soil also 

 bears the most prolific apple and pear orchards. On the whole of 

 the district in which the cornstones prevail, more especially in 

 such places where the soils partake of a heavy character, the 

 finest and freest growing oaks in England are to be found grow- 

 ing. In fact, so much do these trees abound, that they have been 

 termed the " weeds of Herefordshire." 



Intermixed with the middle section of the old red sandstone 

 group just noticed, are two small divisions of silurian rocks, one 

 around Woolhope, and the other stretching from Ledbury to the 

 Malvern Hills ; the latter is covered by the most argillaceous 

 soil of the county, whilst the stiffness usually resulting from this 

 circumstance is greatly modified in the Woolhope district, owing 

 to the greater surface-development of the silurian limestone. 



From what has previously been stated, it will be seen that the 

 general character of the subsoils of this county participate largely in 



