Indications of the Fertility or Barrenness of Soils. 431 
that is peculiar to this formation, by which we can tell its fertility 
or barrenness; the mathen and crow-needles grow more thickly 
and stronger on the poorer than they do on the richer parts; but 
this I think is owing to the crop being weaker, consequently 
giving more room for weeds to flourish. In ploughing this kind 
of land we found the better descriptions to be of a firmer texture 
(although not containing so many stones) than the poorer — that 
is, what farmers call having more staple to it, even in walking 
over it at any time the same facts may be discovered. Tlie down 
lands are very various as to quality ; in most of the bottoms the 
sheep feed sweet and close ; and these would no doubt, if brought 
into tillage, produce good crops; the tops of the hills are mostly 
mossy, and produce but little feed. Some places there are which 
are covered with long, rough, sour grass — an indication that clay 
is hear. Where these two last remarks apply, be assured the 
land is weak, and would be unproductive if ploughed. 
I will next mention the white land : here, as on the chalk, the 
paler and weaker the colour the less the produce, let the crop be 
what it may, and the cause is the same — being nearer the stone. 
Here also the hedges grow worst on the palest land, and the best 
is soil of the strongest staple. 
Now I will describe the whitish or ash-coloured land. This 
stratum is mostly arable, except a few closes near the village, which 
are pretty good as grass-land — or else, in a general way, this 
stratum is but indifferent pasture, but cultivated as arable (if well 
tilled), is the best land 1 ever saw for any crop. I know of no 
difference as to quality here till you come to the clay below, 
where, if any part of a field chance to run on that stratum, you 
may see to within a yard where it commences by the colour, 
which is darker ; and the farther you advance on the clay the 
darker is the soil, and the worse its quality from being mixed with 
the clay ; the staple of the soil is not near so firm on the clay as 
where it is free from clay. I am not aware of any plant that 
grows here by which the two soils can be distinguished from each 
other; the hedges and timber thrive equally well on both. 
The pasture land at the lower end of the farm, as I have said 
before, is a clay top-soil a little mellowed with vegetable matter, 
with a tenacious subsoil of yellow clay. This land is not good 
as pasture, but would be still worse as arable, judging by what 
I have seen ploughed in its neighbourhood. The hedges and 
timber grow well on the whole of it ; but there is much difference 
in the appearance of the herbage. On the higher j)arts of these 
fields the grass grows much stronger and higher, with more bents, 
and some small quantity of clover. As you approach the lower 
ground the grass becomes shorter, with less bents, and a great 
portion of it carnation-grass (the worst sort that grows). At 
