Indications of Fertility or Barrenness of Soils. 591 
System. 
Formation, 
Deposit. 
Pkevailing qcalityof Soil. 
Clavev 
'Sandy and 
Rocky. 
1 
Loamv. 
Tertiary , . 
' 1. Alluvial 
• . 
Fertile. 
2. Diluvial 
Barren. 
Fertile. 
3. IjOndon clay • • 
Bnrrcn 
4. Plastic cl4V* . • 
liiirren 
5?ecoutlary • 
The chalk formatiun 
1. Upper cluilk • 
Bari en. 
Fcrliie. 
3. Gault , . • . 
Barren ? 
4. Green sand ■ • 
Barren ? 
Fertile. 
The WeaUlen formation 
1 > Wealden clav ■ • 
Barren 
• . 
2.' H-istiuffs, or iron sand ) 
3» Ashburham beds . / 
Barren. 
• 
4. Purbeck beds , 1 
Oolitic formation , • 
la Upper oolite . • 
. . 
Barren. 
2* Jvimmeridge clay ■ 
Ban en 
Fertile ? 
3. Coral ra** . . 
Barren ? 
. . 
4, Oxford clay, , , 
Barren 
Fertile ? 
5. Cornbrash and forest 
Barren 
• 
Feitile ? 
marble. 
6. Great oolite . , 
Barren. 
Fuller's earth 
Barren 
• 
7, Inferior oolite • • 
Fertile. 
Lias formation • • 
1. Upper lias shale . . 
Barren 
• • 
Fertile. 
Fertile. 
3, JLower lias shale • • 
Barren ? 
Fertile. 
4. Lias rocks • • . 
Barren r 
Fertile. 
red sandstone • 
1. Upper new red sandstone 
Barren ? 
Fertile. 
2, Lower do. • 
• • 
Barren ? 
Fertile. 
Ma^nesian limestone 
Barren. 
• 
Carbouiforous foirmation 
1 . Coal-measures . , 
Barren 
• • 
2. Millstone (^vit 
Barren. 
3. Carboniferous or moun- 
Ba rren* 
tain limestone. 
Old red samlstone ■ 
Barren ■ 
Fertile. 
Primary 
Silurian rocks 
Barren. 
Cumbrian rocks , . 
Barren. 
Metamorphic rocks 
Barren. 
2, Gnei>3 
Barren. 
Plutonic rocks « 
Fertile. 
Barren. 
Fertile. 
1 
Barren. 
Most of tbe foregoing formations take a north and south range, 
and extend from the south and south-west to the north-east of the 
kingdom, so that any person taking a journey from Cardigan, in a 
straight Une to the Forest of Dean, and thence to Gravesend at 
the mouth of the Thames, will pass over all those formations, with 
the exception of the Wealden, the Metamorphic and Plutonic 
rocks ; which do not form regularly-developed strata, being found 
in England in detached portions of no very great extent. This 
table has been formed from a personal examination of all those 
formations, with the exception of the Plutonic rocks. It will be 
seen how far the object has been attained — namely, a classifica- 
tion of the soils, with regard to their fertility and barrenness. 
The classification of the rocks was accomplished, by following the 
same plan adopted to identify the natural grasses which are indi- 
cations of barrenness or fertility — that of first ascertaining the 
opinions of others respecting certain lands, who could not be con- 
