244 
On the Agricultural Geology of the Weald. 
The chief characteristic of the climate of the district is an 
excessive rainfall. This is partly attributable to the height of 
the country, and partly to its proximity to the southern coast, 
which has a rainfall varying from 40 inches in Cornwall and 
Devon, decreasing eastwards to 30 inches in Hants, and 29 inches 
at Hastings. Inland, however, it increases ; for at Uckfield it is 
33 inches, and at Selborne 34 inches. Uckfield is on the southern 
slope of the central region, at about 130 feet above the sea, and 
distant about seven miles from the high South Downs, there being 
no high land intervening : it is therefore well exposed to the 
rainy winds. Selborne, though sheltered by the Chalk hills, lies 
higher — whence, no doubt, its greater rainfall. 
The rainfall at Chichester is 29 inches, the same as at Hastings. 
At Cobham, in the north of Surrey, 24 inches ; and at Canterbury 
27 inches. 
The great corn district of England, extending through the vale 
of York southwards, by the Eastern-Midland counties towards 
the valley of the Severn, has a fall varying from 20 to 24 inches. 
The Severn plain, extending from Gloucester northwards by 
Shrewsbury, is mostly under 30 inches.* It will thus be seen that, 
as far as rainfall is concerned, the Weald is less favourably situated 
than the typical wheat districts. Probably if more woodland 
were cleared the rainfall would be' less. 
Chalk. 
Of this formation but a small area belongs to the district under 
consideration, — only the face of the escarpment. This is every- 
where in grass, except a few places of very limited extent, where 
Avood occurs. Box often grows on the face of the escarpment, 
whence the names Box Hill and Boxley ; there is also a good 
deal of Juniper and Yew ; but Beech is the tree which especially 
characterises the chalk. Arable land extends upwards from the 
Upper Greensand terrace as far as the slope of the ground will 
permit ; but the middle and upper parts of the escarpment are 
too steep for the plough, sometimes as much as 30°, and are left 
as sheepwalks. 
The most productive soil is formed by the lowest or marly 
chalk, and this is always under the plough. The least pro- 
ductive is that of the " chalk-without-flints," and this, on the 
escarpment, is necessarily in grass, though beyond the escarp- 
* These numbers, the mean of the years 18()0-G5, are taken from Mr. Svmons' 
" Kain ; How it is Measured," 1SC7, p. 52. Mr. Symous, as the result of numerous 
cakuhitions, considers that the mean of these six years agrees very closely with 
the mean of the forty years 1810-4y. 
