Farming of Herefordsliire. 



437. 



the qualities found in the active surface soils. Thus, in the upper 

 beds of old red sandstone found to prevail at the western part of 

 the county, the surface is sandy, with only a light vegetable 

 covering, whilst the subsoil is composed of a rotten, silicious 

 stone or rubble at greater depth, frequently partaking of the 

 nature of a gritstone rock, sometimes sufliciently hard for building 

 purposes. The central or cornstone group of the old red sand- 

 stone gives rise, by the disintegration of its constituents, to a 

 more argillaceous soil ; a character somewhat more apparent than 

 real ; for, if analysed, it will be found to contain far less alumina 

 than a casual inspection would suggest, the stiffness " being in 

 a great degree attributable to the finely-divided state in which 

 the calcareous particles and peroxide of iron exists, giving to the 

 whole a paste-like consistence when saturated with moisture. 

 Although the term aluminous has been used previously in 

 describing the soils of this district, the expression must be under- 

 stood, both in the past and in any future observations, as 

 being given rather in a conventional than in its actual or 

 strict meaning ; its use being adopted to indicate a soil of a 

 "stiff" and somewhat retentive character, rather than as de- 

 scribing any relative chemical composition. A very large area of ' 

 the land of Herefordshire which is situate on the cornstones is 

 confined to pastoral husbandry, to which it is best adapted, in 

 the absence of a perfect system of drainage. The natural accu- 

 mulation of carbonaceous matters, and their gradual intermixture 

 with the finer earthy particles, eventually causes the sward to 

 assume the character of a rich friable mouldy loam, the subsoil, 

 however, being generally deep, cold, impervious, and retentive. 



The lighter soils of the county are mostly in the flat districts 

 situate upon the low^er members of the group, and are generally 

 of a less fertile character than those covering the cornstones ; in 

 few cases, however, are they so sterile as those already noticed, 

 which are placed on the upper series ; indeed, when, as some- 

 times occurs, an outcropping bed of marl makes its appearance, 

 strips of fine land are found as the constant concomitant. A 

 rotten sandstone rock or breccia is the general subsoil on the 

 lower rocks ; sometimes, however, where the decomposition of , 

 the rock has been complete, deep beds of sand and fine gravel 

 are found. The subsoils on the silurian rocks near Ledbury and 

 Woolhope are frequently stiff, excepting where the limestones 

 prevail ; those near Presteign are porous. 



The Use of Lime as a Manure, Sfc. — Like all districts where 

 lime can be obtained in abundance, its abuse is much more ap- 

 parent than its judicious application ; the introduction of arti- 

 ficial manures has, however, done much to lessen the evils of 

 over and too-frequent liming. The concretionary limestones of 



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