262 



On the Farming of Suffolk. 



1. The character of the Soils of the County. 



In describing the soils of Suffolk, I have followed the example 

 of Arthur Young in giving a map of the soils, believing that this 

 will give a better idea of the distribution of the several varieties 

 of land than any other method. Though this plan will only be 

 an approximation to the truth, as variations are to be found in 

 every part, yet the surface soil of Suffolk is perhaps as clearly 

 defined as that of any other county possessing an equal extent of 

 land with the same distinct variations in the soil. 



If a correct geological map, showing the substrata of the county, 

 had been added to this Report, it would have been more satis- 

 factory to the scientific agriculturist ; but as a great part of Suffolk 

 is covered by shallow deposits of sand, gravel, clay, and loam, 

 a geological map would not have exhibited the agricultural rela- 

 tions of the county more faithfully than the annexed sketch of the 

 surface soil. The latter will, at least, give an idea as to the kind 

 of farming a stranger may expect to see in any particular locality. 

 And the chalk and crag pits being marked, will be a slight index 

 to the subsoil. 



It will be seen on the map that there are 5 distinct divisions, 

 each of which demands a description. 



1. Strong loam. Woodlands. 



2. Eastern sand. Sandlings. 



3. Western sand. Fieldings. 



4. Rich loam. 



5. Fen. 



S. Woodward, Esq., has favoured me with the following inform- 

 ation on the geological character of the soil : — 



" The lowest stratum in the county is chalk, which exists at a greater 

 or less depth beneath every part of it, except the small corner occupied 

 by the fens, which rest either on green sand or Kimmeridge clay. Pro- 

 ceeding westward from Bury along the road to Newmarket, the chalk 

 either appears on the surface, or is covered with a very moderate thick- 

 ness of sand, and throughout the whole of the western sand district, the 

 chalk is at no very great depth from the surface. The old warrens 

 used to indicate the locality of beds of sand. Even at Botesdale, east 

 of Bury, there are chalk pits. Further east the chalk inclines rapidly, 

 and is lost sight of beneath several hundred feet of clay, sand, and 

 gravel, except in some places, for instance N. of Ipswich, where the 

 turnpike-road cuts through it ; and there are chalk-pits at Debenham 

 and Stowmarket. In the neighbourhood of the valleys of E. Suffolk 

 the chalk is probably never far from the surface, as these are valleys of 

 elevation. The London clay makes its last appearance northwards in 

 East Suffolk ; the base of the sea cliff at Felixstow consists of a dark 

 clay, containing the characteristic fossils of the London clay ; it extends 

 inwards as far as Hadleigh, but is buried beneath newer clays and gra- 



