cattle, nor fed close by any creature in the spring. A clay soil receives but little benefit from the grass, and when once suffered to decline it is difficult to restore it.

Fruit trees in general do not flourish well in a clay soil. Roots of various kinds will not be so good. The soil does not suffer the roots to expand in quest of nourishment.

All clay soils are unpleasant to cultivate with the hoe, though such a crop will mix the sand sooner and cheaper than any other methods; and those which are culti vated solely with the plough, require more skill, and perhaps double the expense that are necessary on a light, sandy soil. But when their natural toughness is subdued they produce abundantly of such crops as are suited to them, and by their durability will repay the labour bestowed.

LOAMY SOIL.

Loam is a combination of clay and sand, some are denominated clayey, from the excess of that matter, others open and light, from the preponderance of sand. In fact, these two original ingredients seem capable of being compounded in such an infinite variety of ways, as to give occasion to that diversified texture of soils met with in all countries and situations; and are contrived to counteract each other's qualities, that by their union, they might furnish the basis of that beautiful and splendid creation of flowers and plants, of shrubs and trees, which decorate the face of nature, and charm us by a sweet assemblage of all that is gay and soft in colouring, with all that is elegant and attractive in design.

Loams being a medium between light and stiff soils, are the most desirable of all others to cultivate. They are ploughed with greater facility than clay; they are peculiarly well adapted for the convertible husbandry; for they can be altered, not only without injury, but generally with benefit, from grass to tillage, and from tillage to grass.

A mellow, rich, crumbling sandy loam, such as will admit tillage soon after rain; adhesive enough to fear no draught, and friable enough to strain off superfluous moisture, and to admit the fibrous roots of plants; if incumbent on a sand subsoil, is the most profitable of all

soils, being easily managed, and raising every species of crop the climate will admit of. Such loams as are

of a dark red, bright chesnut, or hazely colour, if dry and mellow, are almost invariably excellent.

Gravelly loams, when warm, sound, and dry, or free' from springs, are useful soils, more especially in wet

seasons.

Stiff loam, is naturally a poor, cold land. On walking over it, it is found extremely adhesive in wet weather, and it requires a long time to dry, which retards ploughing till late in the spring. It may be considered as forming a medium between the clods of clay and the crumblings of loam. But if well manured, and perhaps drained, it will become very productive.

The poorer sorts are of a pale yellow, or whitish colour, and require abundance of manure to render them fruitful.

Loams of every kind, whether wet or dry, are natural to grass: Some, however, which lie flat become mossy, when they have been a few years in pasture or mowing, and require to be ploughed up; unless the moss is destroyed by scarifying or harrowing and top dressings. Gypsum will sometimes destroy moss, when strewed on a dry loam in the spring.

Loamy lands are generally too cold, and often too wet, for bearing good crops of Indian corn; unless well warmed and mellowed, by suitable manurings, &c. The dry, redish, dark coloured kinds, and those which have a mixture of gravel or sand are most suitable for tillage.

There are writers who speak of a soil which they call black or garden mould; but this being a species of artificial soil, into which the others are generally brought by the effects of manures, the decayed remains of animals and vegitables in the course of cultivation, it is not deemed necessary to speak of it particularly. All good mould becomes black by being exposed to the sun and air a year or two. Sir H. Davy says, a black soil containing much soft vegitable matter, is most heated by the sun and air; and the coloured soils exposed under equal circumstances to sun, acquire a much higher temperature than pale coloured soils.

GRAVELLY SOIL.

The gravelly soil is that in which gravel forms the lar gest part; and is distinguished according to the nature of the earthy matter mixed with it; as clayey gravels, loamy gravels, or sandy gravels. The goodness of such soils depends upon the properties of the gravelly ingredients, and the proportion of earthy matter mixed with them. Those are best which partake largely of slaty gravel. A coarse sand, and a fine gravel are nearly the

same.

Generally speaking, gravelly soils are hard. They are more porous than sandy soils, and may properly be called hungry soils, especially when the parts of which they consist, are hard in substance and rounded in form. As a gravelly soil is more difficult to mellow than a sandy one, the former is the least valuable.

The open porous nature of gravelly soils, disposes them to admit moisture very readily, as well as to part with it with equal facility; which causes them to burn, as it is termed, in dry seasons, but have the property of quickly recovering with the least rain. They likewise have the property of being more early than the more heavy sorts of land.

Hard gravels must be improved by deep ploughings to enable crops to withstand drought; by the application of clay, marl, peat, or other earth; by the mud of ponds or rivers, the dung of cows and swine, sea-weed, straw partly rotted, or almost any substance which will retain moisture for some time; various animal manures in the form of composts, with loam and ashes; and by irrigation, if the water be full of sediment. The application of such things in abundance, will meliorate it for a long time. Such soil will answer for crops that require much heat, as Indian corn, beans, peas, potatoes, &c. With the aid of gypsum they will produce good crops of clover, which may be followed by rye.

Sometimes the gravel is so covered with stone, that hardly any mould can be seen. Land of this description is very troublesome to work, destructive to implements, &c. but with proper management can be rendered productive.

The wet, cold, springy gravel, is a very bad soil; it may be improved by draining; by frequent returns of

grass crops; and by repeated applications of manure. Some gravels and sands are of so burning a nature, that unless the season is wet they will produce but little.

But as the soils which may be denominated gravelly, are some more, and some less, so; some very hard and dry, some mellower, and not so much affected by drought: we will not pretend to designate particularly the most profitable uses of soils of this kind, as much must depend on their particular character, and as those of the better kind may often be found very good for

most kinds of culture.

SANDY SOIL.

A sandy soil is that in which sand predominates, but which contains a sufficiency of other earthy matter, to make it more or less retentive of moisture, and thus be comes endued with various degrees of fertility. Wherever unmixed with other ingredients, it is of little or no value. Very light sandy soils neither afford sufficient stability to plants, nor retain moisture enough to convey to them their necessary food.

Where a sandy soil is underlaid, and at no great depth, with what is usually called a hard pan, it adds greatly to the retentiveness of the soil, and of course to its fertility.

Sandy soils are usually of a yellowish, or redish cast. Sometimes they are greyish; and frequently they are dark coloured. The latter are generally the most fertile; the yellowish and redish are commonly the least so; and the greyish commonly holds a middle station between the two extremes. There are writers however, who consider a red sand one of the most profitable.

The light, open, and porous texture of sandy soils render them easily cultivated, so that, if what is saved in tillage be expended in additional manurings, it is doubtful whether this soil, when skilfully managed, will not be found as profitable to the farmer as most other lands of middling quality.

The best mode of improving sandy soils, is, by a mixture of clay, marl, sea-shells, peat, vegitable earth, cow dung, swine's dung, or mud from swamps and ponds. A dressing of clay two or three inches thick, and well mixed, will make it fruitful for many years. As these sub

stances are liable to sink into such soils pretty fast, it is necessary to plough deep to return them to the surface. It is worthy of remark, that the substratum of a sandy soil, is often a strong clay; thus nature furnishes the means of perfecting her works for the use of man, upon the same ground.

The crops best adapted to sandy soils are, common turnips, potatoes, carrots, barley, rye, buckwheat, clover, sainfoin, and other grasses. Wheat is not very natural to this soil; but when in good condition, it will produce tolerable crops of this grain; particularly when sown on a sward of clover turned under. The lighter kinds of it are too little retentive of moisture, during the heats of summer, for good crops of Indian corn; but those which are dark coloured are generally good for this crop. In some places the most valuable improvement upon this kind of land has been made by laying it into grass, and treating it with top-dressings of different kinds of soils, which, when liberally applied, have, often changed the appearance, and so much altered its nature, as to render it capable of bearing a succession of valuable crops of grain. Even a blowing sand may be reduced to a loam, by sowing plaister, with red top, or other fibrous rooted grasses, until a sward can be obtained, then dress with plaister and such things as mentioned above, and mix them well with the sandy turf by harrowing. The frosts and rain of winter will also assist in this. When the sward has become strong and rich by the aid of manures, break up by deep ploughing; take one crop of potatoes, or grain, lay down, and proceed as before; in a few years it will be a rich sandy loam.

Sandy soils push forward crops much sooner than oth-. er soils, they are of all others the least productive of weeds. Turnips, &c. raised on them are of a better flavour, and less liable to be attacked by worms. Fruits or seeds ripened on such soils are better to keep, because they contain the fewest watery particles.

It is a rule, in regard to sandy soils, never to pick off any small stones that may be found in them, as they contribute to prevent evaporotion, and to preserve mois

ture.