EEV. W. THORP, B.A. — AGRICULTURAL GEOLOGY, ETC. 227 
than a knowledge of the chemical constituents of the soil ; for it 
appeared that while crops of clover had failed on soil which apparentl}' 
contained every element of nutrition, they had flourished on land 
which was inferior in this respect ; and it followed that the mechanical 
condition of the soil, i.e., its compact or loose state was a matter to 
be attended to in considering the causes of fertility and barrenness. 
He had lately seen an instance corroborative of Mr. Thorp's views, 
where a sandy soil had become compact from the constant treading 
of horses, and now for the first time was covered with a luxuriant 
crop of White Clover. 
In the annual report presented to the members of the society 
the folloT\ing month at Wakefield, Earl Fitzwilliam presiding, the 
valuable papers of Mr. Thorp are referred to as having opened up a 
new field for the labours of the society, the importance of which it was 
not easy to overrate, since thereby the Yorkshire Agriculturist would 
not only be made acquainted with the geological character of the soil 
he cultivated, but also with those principles of cultivation which the 
recent discoveries of science had suggested. If the result anticipated 
were gained, the society would have reason to congratulate itself on 
having lent its willing aid to forward so desirable a result. 
On the loth July, 1843, Mr. Clay issued a circular to the mem- 
bers of the Society, in which it is intimated that the members of the 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society and of the Geological Society would 
again hold a conjoint meeting on August 1st, at Doncaster, at the 
Mansion House, at half-past two, when the Right Honourable the Earl 
Fitzwilliam would take the chair. At that meeting Mr. Thorp gave an 
account of the mode of management pursued at Glasnevin Model Farm, 
and contributed a valuable paper, the result of much original research, 
" On the indications which are guides in judging of the fertility or 
barrenness of the soil." A prize of £50 had been offered by the 
Royal Agricultural Society of England for an essay to explain the 
productiveness of soils by obvious signs whether of colour, consist- 
ence or vegetation. In this paper Mr. Thorp showed that all these 
qualities depend on the geological structure of the gTound, and illus- 
trated his subject by reference to the districts of Yorkshire, which 
offer great variations in productiveness as they do in geological consti- 
