Indications of Fertility or Barrenness of Soils. 
585 
is palatable to sheep. In some parts, where in arable, it forms a 
thin, dry, loose, hazel-coloured soil, and in the valleys a deep, 
dry, light chocolate-coloured soil, which, under the good manage- 
ment pursued on the chalk hills, produces good crops of barley, 
turnips, wheat, and sainfoin : not naturally fertile land. 
2. The Lower Chalk. — The lower chalk is without the layers 
of flint. The colour is mostly white, or a dusky-white, but it 
varies, being in some districts red, yellow, and grey. The lower 
portions form what is called chalk marl. The soil is of a dark- 
grey colour, and in places is deep and adhesive, and expen- 
sive to cultivate. This soil is the most productive of any that I 
have seen, with the single exception of some alluvial deposits. 
The water-meadows are peculiarly productive. The whole of 
this deposit is naturally fertile. There are exceptions, but they 
may be shown to arise from causes unconnected with the mecha- 
nical, structure or capability of the soil. 
3. Gault. — This deposit is formed of a stiff blue, or dcirk- 
coloured clay, but it sometimes varies, so as to become yellow or 
brown. The gault is but a limited deposit, and does not extend 
farther north than the midland counties. It is very expensive to 
cultivate, and unproductive when not mixed with soils transported 
from other deposits. In the vale of the White Horse it forms 
some very good pasture-land. The gault is situated in the midst 
of the green sand, next described. 
4. Green Sand. — This deposit consists of two parts, with a 
bed of clay between them. They are composed of greenish- 
coloured earth, mixed with sand and small rounded particles of 
chalk. The colour is variable, and frequently greenish-grey, but 
sometimes yellow, brown, grey, orange, red, and mixed or mottled, 
or arranged in alternate streaks. The green sand is not always 
visible under the chalk, being overlaid and hid by it. This- 
deposit is naturally fertile. It forms a friable, deep, rich soil, 
and produces every kind of crop in the greatest luxuriance. 
Exceptions, however, might be pointed out. It forms a barren 
soil in two or three places in England, especially where it extends 
to a greater breadth than usual. 
11. — The Wealden Formation. 
The Wealden formation is limited in its extent, is situate be- 
tween what are called the North and South Downs, and is sub- 
divided into four deposits: — 1. Wealden Clay ; 2. Hastings, or 
Iron-Sand ; 3. Ashburnham Beds ; 4. Purbeck Beds. 
1. Weald Clay. — This deposit is a stiff blue clay, varying in 
colour, in some places appearing of a whitish fawn-colour, in 
others possessing a deeper yellow shade, and sometimes is formed 
of a mixture of colours. The rock found in it is a shelly lime- 
