Comparative Agriculture of England and Wales. 281 
The Bouider Clay covers a wide area in the centres of Essex 
and Suffolk, and also occurs, but to a smaller extent, in Norfolk. 
The Sands and Gravels occur along the eastern parts of the 
counties about Colchester, Ipswich, and thence northwards. 
They are of various degrees of fertility ; the tract to the south 
and south-east of Ipswich, with the neighbouring tracts of Essex, 
being exceedingly fertile — the " Rich Loam " of Arthur Young. 
Further north the land is less productive ; whilst again in the 
north-east of Norfolk there is good land. Some of the poorest 
land of the three counties is on these sands, in the north-cast part 
of Suffolk and the adjacent parts of Norfolk, 
The north-western part of Norfolk is occupied b}' bare chalk, 
or by chalk overlain by a chalky marl or clay ; not the chalky 
Boulder Clay, above mentioned, but a highly calcareous marl, 
often burnt for lime. It is on this land, and on the adjacent bare 
chalk, that the best examples of Norfolk farming are found. There 
is no great area of bare chalk in Suffolk, it being mostly covered 
by the barren sands before mentioned (Young's " Western Sand "). 
There is some chalk land in the north-western corner of Essex. 
The London Clay occupies the surface in the southern half of 
Essex. It forms a stiff clayey soil, compared with which that 
of the chalky Boulder Clay is only a "strong loam." 
A comparison of the three counties, then, gives this result. 
In Norfolk there is only a comparatively small area of clay, and 
that is chiefly the chalky Boulder Clay. This forms the heaviest 
soil in Norfolk and Suffolk. In the latter county the area covered 
by this clay is larger than in Norfolk. In Essex, in addition 
to the fairly large area of Boulder Clay, there is a district 
formed by the stiffer London Clay. The land, as a whole, 
becomes stiffer in passing through the counties from north to 
south. The result of this arrangement of the drift soil is plainly 
seen in the percentage numbers. Of land not returned as under 
cultivation and pasture there is no great difference ; the excess 
of the former in Essex being sufficiently accounted for by its 
including a part of the metropolitan area. In the fallow divi- 
sion there is a large increase going south. Rotation grasses de- 
crease in the same proportion. Turnips are large in Norfolk, 
smaller in Suffolk, and least in Essex. Beans are large in Essex 
and Suffolk, small in Norfolk. Wheat increases regularly south- 
wards ; whilst Barley is least in Essex. The three counties so 
closely resemble each other in climate, and present so few im- 
portant distinctions in contour, that this comparison is particu- 
larly useful. The proximity of Essex to London may, perhaps, 
partly account for the excess of oats in that county.* 
* For the foregoing brief description of the Drifts of the East of England 1 
am indebted to a map (with memoir and sections) prepared by Mr. S. V. Wood, 
