Indications of the Fertility or Barrenness of Soils. 433 
wind. If anything is to be made of this, it must be well drained 
first, and then well stocked and trod with sheep to make it firm, 
before anything will grow here." Such is the treatment this field 
has had ; and after being pared and burned, and a little manure 
added, it grew an excellent crop of swedes, and a good crop of 
barley after ; but it will not bear wheat, neither were the swedes 
or the barley so good on those parts of the field where the top- 
soil is of a pale colour. 
We next come to the light gravel. This top-soil is a darkish- 
coloured light gravel, with a pale weak gravel under : the whole 
field the same. This is good turnip and barley land, ever dry, 
and will bear an average crop of wheat of good quality. On 
walking over this field it treads firm ; no indications of spongi- 
ness, or plants of bad omen, to be seen. If out of crop in the 
spring, the groundsel and chickweed will grow well. 
Adjoining this enclosure is a large one of a moory gravel. The 
top-soil is of a dark colour all over, but one part of the field is 
of much lighter texture than the other ; and where this is the 
case the subsoil is a weak pale gravel ; and near the upper end, 
where the top-soil becomes of firmer staple, the gravel is stronger 
and lower down. This field is of weak middling quality, where 
the top-soil is light, and hollow to the foot, but improves as it be- 
comes firmer. 
A hedge only divides the last- mentioned field from one in which 
the nature of the soil entirely alters again. The land here rises 
to a considerable ridge, of gentle ascent either way. It covers an 
area of about 60 acres. At the base of this bank, facing the 
south-east, is a good strong gravel, of a rich yellow colour, with a 
subsoil of gravelly loam. On the contrary side, facing the north- 
west, the top-soil is a mortary loam of considerable depth, a little 
inclined to clay in places, which reaches over the top of the ridge, 
and meets the gravel on the other side in places. On this land 
the hedges and timber grow equally well on the gravel and the 
loam ; and on part of it which is pasture on the loam, the furze 
(or whin) grows strong and well, but the turf on it is inferior. 
Where the clay appears, the turf is sweet and good. This mor- 
tary loam, as arable land, is more valuable than when down as 
pasture; but not first-rate, by any means, in that state. Its ap- 
pearance to the eye is not such : the colour is a dead-looking pale 
yellow. It treads firm at all times; will bear pretty good wheat 
and oats, but no other crop for certain ; it is not a turnip soil by 
any means. The oak thrives well on it. The gravel on the south- 
east side will bear turnips and barley, as well as wheat and beans, 
equally well. One corner of this ridge of land abuts on a piece 
of pasture of the same kind. It is a hungry clay, mixed with this 
mortary loam, which forms a more barren soil than the mortary 
