Woods of North-East Kent . 
889 
The London Clay. 
In the neighbourhood of Faversham the London Clay extends over 
a large area between Canterbury, Whitstable, and Herne Bay, forming the 
main mass of the Eocene deposits. This area is almost entirely covered by 
woodland known as the Forest of Blean. 
The soil is reddish brown in colour and contains a large amount of true 
clay, the proportion in some districts in East Kent rising to over 40 % (Hall 
and Russell ( 7 )). It is, in consequence, of a particularly heavy nature and 
presents great difficulties in working for agricultural purposes. For these 
reasons it is probable that the area occupied by the Forest of Blean has 
never been brought under cultivation, but has always been covered with 
woodland. The proportion of lime in these soils is small; the analyses 
given by Hall and Russell ( 7 ) show o*2-o*3 % of calcium carbonate, but 
these were obtained from arable soils which had probably been limed ; the 
amount in soil covered by woodland is probably considerably less. 
The observations made on the vegetation of the woods of the London 
Clay have been confined to portions of the Forest of Blean in the vicinity 
of Holly Hill, near Faversham. The altitude of these woods varies from 
200 to 300 ft.; the slope of the ground is towards the north-west. The Oak 
(■Quercus sessiliflora , Salisb.) is the most abundant tree found in these 
woods. The standards are well-grown trees and produce Oak timber of 
good quality. The Oak also forms the greater part of the coppice growth. 
Hazel, Chestnut ( Castanea sativa , Mill.), Beech, and Birch (Beiula verrucosa , 
Ehrh.) are usually present, but in considerably smaller numbers. Honey¬ 
suckle is frequently found in these copses. Pinus sylvestris , L., has been 
planted in some situations. 
The ground flora in the shade of the old copse is very scanty. The 
following are found, but in all cases the plants are few in number. These 
flower in the early spring:— 
Anemone nemorosa , L. Primula acaulis , L. 
Endymion nutans , Dum. 
In view of the abundance of the Bluebell on the Clay with Flints, its scarcity 
on the London Clay is striking. Although the two soils are very similar 
both in mechanical and chemical composition, the London Clay is much 
more compact and harder than the Clay with Flints ; this is particularly the 
case with regard to the upper layers. The young bulbs of Endymion nutans 
would not meet with great resistance in their passage downwards, and this 
fact no doubt partially explains the scantiness of the species on this soil. 
Mercurialis perennis is absent from the London Clay in this district. 
