458 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  2,  1898. 
made  equally  clear.  The  surface  of  the  land  had  an  unbroken  slope 
from  one  side  of  the  allotments  to  the  other ;  close  at  hand  was  the 
cinder-tip  of  some  blast  furnaces,  literally  a  mountain  of  slag,  and 
there  was  no  provision  of  water  for  the  gardens.  The  advice  given 
was  to  get  the  water  out  of  tlie  heavy  land  by  drains  laid  15  feet 
apart,  make  holes  of  puddled  clay  at  intervals  along  the  lower  sides  of 
the  allotment  as  reservoirs  for  the  water,  then  work  into  the  soil  a 
heavy  dressing  of  fine  slag  to  open  it  up  and  impart  thorough 
mechanical  division,  and  there  would  he  perfect  water  filtration 
combined  with  air  circulation,  warm  dry  soil,  a  cessation  of  abnormally 
early  and  late  frost,  and  a  supply  of  water  for  the  gardens  in  summer, 
A  large  order  for  the  allotment  holders  certainly,  but  a  perfect 
remedy,  in  the  application  of  which  I  have  reason  to  believe  assistance 
will  be  given  by  a  kindly  generous  landlord,  rendering  this  lesson  of 
the  seasons  fruitful  of  good,  and  this  particular  effort  of  technical 
education  by  the  County  Council  of  Derbyshire  a  memorable  one. 
— Edward  Luckhurst. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SOILS  OF  THE 
BRITISH  ISLES. 
{Continued  from  page  370.) 
Having  thus  referred  to  the  most  marked  and  important  agencies 
that  have  operated  in  the  disruption  and  dispersal  of  the  ingredients 
of  the  crust  of  the  earth,  we  may  next  seek  for  the  results,  and 
examine  and  remark  on  the  various  formations  either  producing  or 
having  already  contributed  to  the  friable  matters  that  we  recognise  as 
soil.  We  shall  deal  first  with  the  rock  formations  and  the  soils 
derived  immediately  from  them,  which  may  be  styled  primitive  or 
natural  soil  ;  when  these  have  been  noticed  seriatim,  we  shall  proceed 
with  the  various  amalgamated  soils,  such  as  alluvium  and  loam. 
In  its  first  aspect,  we  have  in  granite  or  crystalline  rocks  of  apparently 
uncompromising  hardness  ;  but  the  most  compact  and  obdurate  rocks, 
though  yielding  slowly  to  atmospheric  agencies,  decay  at  last,  and 
their  fragments  all  assist  in  giving  the  rocky  skeleton  of  the  earth 
its  garment  of  soil.  The  accumulation  of  soil  derived  directly  from 
the  waste  of  granite  rocks  (which  contain  chiefly  quartz,  feldspar,  and 
mica),  though  not  invariably  characterised  by  fertility,  have  under 
certain  circumstances  an  appreciable  value.  Enriched,  it  forms  the 
base  of  a  most  valuable  soil,  it  is  always  porous  and  receptive,  and  its 
slow  decomposition  gives  it  great  permanence  as  a  soil.  The  products 
of  cultivation  of  Jersey,  in  soil  derived  from  crystalline  rocks,  prove 
its  great  value  ;  and,  under  less  favourable  circumstances  of  climate, 
the  granitic  soils  of  Aberdeenshire  produce  good  results  both  in  corn 
and  cattle. 
Trap  rock,  though  excessively  hard,  has,  like  other  compact 
mineral  substances,  yielded  to  the  operation  of  atmospheric  and  other 
agencies  wherever  large  surfaces  have  keen  exposed.  The  results  of 
its  decump  si'ion  are  found  in  a  soil  of  considerable  fertility,  and  the 
intermixture  of  its  particles  with  other  matters  greatly  enhances  its 
value. 
In  their  primitive  form  the  soils  of  the  Silurian  system  are  not 
greatly  remarkable  for  fertility.  It  is  in  the  collections  of  matter  the 
various  strata  contribute  to  the  accumulations  peculiar  to  the  system 
that  the  best  results  in  soil  are  found. 
In  the  Devonian  system  we  have  the  old  red  sandstone,  a  forma¬ 
tion  that  affords  extensive  tracts  of  rich  land  in  Herefordshire,  Shrop¬ 
shire,  iMoray,  and  other  districts.  It  affords  a  soil  eminently  capable 
of  improvement,  and  suitable  for  a  great  variety  of  crops.  Its  horticul¬ 
tural  value  is  considerable,  and  some  of  the  best  results  in  Vine  culture 
have  been  obtained  from  this  soil. 
The  soils  produced  by  the  several  divisions  of  the  great  carboniferous 
formation  are  of  a  very  marked  and  distinct  character.  The  millstone 
grit,  in  its  extensive  development  in  Xorthumberland,  Yorkshire,  and 
Decbyshire,  affords  a  soil  from  the  disintegrated  stone  of  greater 
interest  and  utility  to  the  horticulturist  than  to  the  farmer.  Distinctly 
siliceous  in  character  until  enriched  by  decayed  vegetable  matter  it  is 
of  the  least  possible  value,  and  its  poverty  and  generally  elevated 
position  have  caused  large  areas  to  be  left  in  an  uncultivated  condition. 
Where  thus  left  we  have  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  rocky 
surfaces  are  operated  upon  by  organic  and  inorganic  agencies,  with  the 
result  of  producing  in  course  of  time  the  peaty  soil  so  valuable  in 
horticultural  practice. 
The  rocky  surface  is  first  covered  by  the  lower  forms  of  vegetable 
life,  mosses  and  lichens.  The  former  of  these  plants  send  their  roots 
into  every  crevice.  Their  peculiar  structure  enables  them  to  absorb 
and  retain  water ;  this  assists  the  moss  to  dissolve  small  portions  of 
the  rock  it  has  already  partially  softened.  The  plant  thus  creates  its 
own  food.  The  annual  growth  and  decay  of  mosses,  their  power  of 
arresting  particles  borne  by  winds,  and  their  action  on  the  stone 
beneath,  together  contribute  to  the  production  of  a  soil.  The  process 
becomes  more  rapid  when  Euncus,  Carex,  Heath,  Vaccinous,  and  Grass 
successively  appear,  with  the  result  of  the  continued  accession  of 
organic  matter,  and  the  constant  softening  of  rocky  surface  acted  upon 
by  the  plants.  As  the  soil  deepens  a  still  higher  class  of  plant  or 
plants  of  a  more  nutritious  character  appear ;  and  when  these 
are  followed  by  the  introduction  of  cattle  the  land  is  still  further 
enriched,  and  at  length  becomes  of  some  value  to  the  forester  and 
farmer.  In  the  depressions  of  surfaces  and  hollows  of  this  formation, 
where  water  rests,  great  accumulations  of  boggy  soil  are  found.  This 
is  greatly  due  to  the  growth  and  decay  of  water-loving  Mosses,  such 
as  sphagnum ;  but  the  unctous  black  bog  soil  thus  formed  is  not  suit¬ 
able  for  plants,  although  by  desiccation  and  exposure  it  serves  certain 
purposes. 
The  varied  character  of  the  soil  of  the  coal  measures  is  naturally 
due  to  the  particular  rocks  or  clays  which  have  a  surface  development. 
When  the  laminated  clays  of  the  system  are  uppermost,  the  result  of 
atmospheric  action,  wood,  and  cultivation,  produce  a  thin  soil  better 
adapted  for  grazing  land  than  gardening;  and  the  aspect  of  the  rolling 
or  sometimes  boldly  undulating  face  of  the  country,  beneath  which  lie 
so  much  mineral  wealth,  is  often  cheerless ;  where  great  rifts  or 
profound  valleys  are  found  in  the  formation,  exposing  the  strata  derived 
from  the  waste  of  granitic,  Silurian,  and  old  red  sandstone  formations, 
the  commingled  matters  washed  out  by  steams  and  deposited  by  their 
action  in  neighbouring  valleys,  form  loams  of  the  greatest  possible 
value  to  the  gardener;  but  these  will  be  described  more  fully  when  we 
treat  of  those  deposits. 
The  mountain  limestone,  which,  by  its  extensive  development,  is 
one  of  the  important  as  well  as  the  most  marked  in  character  of  any 
divisions  of  the  system  to  which  it  belongs,  possesses  in  itself  that 
great  element  of  fertility,  lime,  enriched  by  tlie  presence  of  the  fossils 
which  contribute  to  its  production.  It  is  found  crowning  the  hills  of 
Yorkshire,  Derbyshire,  and  Westmoreland,  and  its  hard  and  durable 
texture  better  resists  the  wasting  action  of  the  element.  The  soils 
resting  immediately  upon  it  are  necessarily  calcareous,  and  somewhat 
shallow,  and  support  a  marked  and  characteristic  flora — Pines,  Firs, 
and  deciduous  forest  trees  generally  thrive,  and,  with  preparation,  good 
fruit  tree  soils  are  produced.  The  formation  of  soil  from  such  rock  is 
largely  mechanical :  the  roots  of  the  trees,  now  covering  extensive 
tracts,  penetrate  every  crevice,  and  at  length  break  up  and  dislocate 
the  rocky  crust.  Frost  and  snow,  rain  and  drought,  are  factors  of 
varying  importance,  according  to  exposure,  and  all  these  agencies  are 
working  with  the  same  result,  and  tend  to  the  increase  of  soil  on  the 
surface  of  the  rock. 
The  notice  of  the  soils  of  the  carboniferous  system  would  be 
incomplete  without  reference  to  the  sandstones,  which  form  part  of 
the  coal  measures,  and  which,  in  some  instances,  are  presented  on  the 
surface,  and,  like  the  other  parts  of  the  formation,  give,  by  the  decay 
or  disintegration,  a  soil  of  less  marked  character  than  either  grit  or 
limestone,  but  intermediate  in  value  between  them.  Sandstones, 
ernts,  magnesian  limestone,  and  gypseous  marls  characterise  the 
Permian  system,  and  give  some  very  distinct  primitive  soils.  The 
rocky  divisions  of  the  formation  each  afford  soils  by  the  decomposition 
of  their  exposed  surfaces,  and  these  naturally  partake  of  the  mineral 
character  of  the  stone  from  which  they  are  derived.  The  soils  from 
the  pure  sandstone  are  poor,  shallow,  supporting  naturally  a  meagre 
vegetation.  The  grits  are  equally  i^oor,  but  more  strongly  siliceous. 
The  limestone  has  produced  a  soil  of  a  somewhat  superior  character, 
atmospheric  action  having  removed  the  lime,  and  neutralised  the 
obnoxious  products  of  the  stone  exposed  to  its  influence.  The  marls 
are  usually  tenacious,  and  the  sulphate  of  lime  derived  from  the 
gypseous  deposits  with  which  the  marl  is  associated  gives  a  distinct 
character,  and  certain  elements  of  fertility  under  tillage. 
The  trias  comprising  the  keuper,  the  hunter,  and  the  new  red 
sandstone  present  in  two  of  its  important  divisions  some  general 
characteristics  in  texture,  colour,  and  mineral  constituents  ;  but  in 
the  hunter,  as  exfiosed  in  Sherwood  Forest  and  Cannock  Chase,  there 
is  a  marked  difference.  In  the  first  named  there  is  found  both  in  the 
compact  marls  accumulations,  and  in  the  sandstone  a  certain  amount 
of  sul[)hate  of  lime.  The  exposure  and  consequent  disintegration  of 
the  saliferous  and  gypseous  shales  have  given  their  own  peculiar 
character  to  the  resulting  soils.  Occupying  generally  a  good  mean 
elevation,  and  often  assuming  a  boldly  undulating  character,  the 
marls  and  sandstones  of  the  trias  afford  a  valuable  series  of  soils,  on 
the  former  of  which  orchard  fruits  may  be  cultivated  with  marked 
success.  The  lighter  soils  of  the  sandstones  are  of  less  value,  but 
useful  for  special  gardening  purposes.  The  hunter  conglomerate  is 
not  invariably  found,  as  its  name  implies,  in  a  fixed  and  consolidated 
condition ;  its  superficial  exposure  exhibits  a  pure  sandy  soil,  inter¬ 
mixed  with  small  water-worn  pebbles  ;  its  purity  is  proved  by  the 
excellence  of  the  water  spring  filtered  through  it ;  a  soil  that  has  no 
marked  chemical  properties  is  nevertheless  of  great  value  to  horti¬ 
culturists;  it  is  a  base  for  whatever  additions  are  needed.  In  its 
pristine  state  it  is  suitable  for  Heaths,  and  with  additions  of  vegetable 
soil  Camellias  thrive  in  a  compost  of  which  it  forms  the  greater  jiart. 
— Percy  T.  Ingram. 
(To  be  coritinufd.) 
