THE

SOIL.

HERE is not, perhaps, a county in the kingdom which contains a greater diversity of soil, or more clearly discriminated. A strong loam, on a clay marl bottom, predominates through the greatest part of the county, extending from the south western extremity of Wratting Park, to North Cove, near Beccles. Its northern boundary stretches from Dalham, by Barrow, Little Saxham, near Bury, Roughman, Pakenham, Ixsworth, Honington, Knattishall, and then in a line, near the river which parts Norfolk and Suffolk, to Beccles and North Cove; but every where leaving a slope and vale of rich friable loam adjoining the river, of various breadths. It then turns southward by Wrentham, Wangford, Blithford, Holton, Bramfield, Yaxford, Saxmundham, Campsey, Ash, Woodbridge, Culpho, Bramford, Hadleigh; and, following the high lands on the west side of the Bret, to the Stour, is bounded by the latter river, with every where a rich tract of slope and vale from thence to its source. Such is the strong land district of Suffolk taken in the mass; but it is not to be supposed that it takes in so large an extent without any variation; a rule, to which we know few exceptions, is, that wherever there are rivers in it, the slopes through which they run, and the bottoms themselves, are of a superior quality, and in general composed of rich friable loams; and this holds even with many very inconsiderable streams which fall into the larger rivers. The chief part of this district would in common conversation be called clay, but improperly. Many of these strong loams have been analized, and found to abound with more sand than their texture would seem to imply; so that were they situated upon a gravel, sand, or chalk, they would be called sandy loams;

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foams; but being on a retentive clay-mari bottoni, are properly, from their wetness, to be termed strong or clayey loam.

The district of rich loam being much less clearly discriminated, will leave more doubts on the minds of persons acquainted with it. From the river Deben, crossing the Orwell, in a line some miles broad, to the north of the river Stour, to Stratford and Higham, there is vein of friable putrid vegetable mould, more inclined to sand than to clay, which is of extraordinary fertility: the best is at Walton, Trimley, and Felixtow, where, for depth and richness, much of it can scarcely be exceeded by any soils to be found in other parts of the county, and would rank high among the best in England. As the position recedes northward to the line from Ipswich to Hadleigh, it varies a good deal; in many places it approaches to sand, and in some is much stronger, as about Wenham and Raydon: the general complexion, however, of the whole of Samford hundred is that of good loam.

The western district of sand is a much poorer country, containing such few spots of rich sands as are found on the coast, but abounding largely with warrens and poor sheep-walks. A great deal under the plough blows, and consequently ranks among the worst of all soils, black sand on a yellow bottom perhaps excepted. Parts of the district take, however, the character of loamy sand; the whole angle, for instance, to the right of the line from Barrow to Honnington, in which no blowing, or even very light sand is found. A more striking exception, though of small extent, is found at Mildenhall, where there is an open field of arable land of capital value, dry, yet fertile, and friable without being loose; its products almost perpetual, and its fruitfulness almost unvaried. The under stratum, through almost all the district, is a more or less perfect chalk, at various depths, but we believe uninterrupted; and

it

it may be received as a rule, that the whole of it, low vales on rivers only excepted, is proper for sainfoine.

Of the fen district it is only necessary to observe, that the surface, from one foot to six, is the common peat of bogs, some of it black and solid enough to yield many ashes in burning; but in other places more loose, puffy, and reddish, and consequently of an inferior quality; the under stratum generally a a white clay, or marl. Part of these tens is under water, though subject to a tax for the drainage, which has failed; but, in Burnt Fen, upwards of 14,000 acres are completely drained, and under cultivation.

Tenures. The great mass of this county is freehold property, but copyholds are numerous, and some of thein large. Of college leases, scattered in various parts, nothing particular is to be noted.

Under this head, however, may be not improperly arranged some customs which are yet very great impediments to the due cultivation of the soil; these are the rights of commonage and pasture, which exceed the ordinary cases. At Troston, on the borders of the western sand district, are found open field lands, in which the course is one crop to two fallows; and these consist in leaving the land to weeds for the flock of one farmer, who, by prescription, is the only person that can keep sheep in the parish. Nothing can be imagined more beggarly than the husbandry and crops on these lands; the same farmer has even the right of sheep feeding many of the inclosed pastures and meadows after the hay is removed. In return for such privileges, he is bound to fold a certain number of acres for the other farmers. It is not difficult to trace the origin of such customs; but wherever found, they ought to be abolished, by giving an equivalent.

Farms -These in Suffolk, must, in a general light, be reckoned large; and to that circumstance, more, perhaps,

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perhaps, than to any other, is to be attributed the good husbandry so commonly found in the county. In the district of strong wet loam, there are many small ones; but these are intermixed with others of a very respectable value. Agriculture is carried on to great perfection through much of these sand districts, owing not a little to the large occupations in the hands of wealthy tenants. But this is a point that calls for an observation relative to the profit of cultivating different soils, which is, that there is no comparison between the wealth of our farmers on dry and on wet land. On the former, the occupation of a farm of 2001, or 300 a year, has been throughout the county generally found attended with a very handsome profit, visible in various circumstances, and ascertained on the death of the farmers. But on the wet land, though numbers are very much at their ease, yet the advantages and fortunes made have been exceedingly inferior; and mixed with many instances that will not allow the idea of considerable profits. Conclusions may be drawn from this, not unimportant: it should seem, to mark what has many years been observed, that the management of light soils is vastly better understood than that of heavy ones; and it may possibly be found, that the latter are higher rented than the former. The fact is probably owing also to the arable land being, on wet soils, in too great proportion to the grass. These are circumstances much deserving the attention of landlords.

Husbandry. The management of the arable land, in the four distinct soils, is essentially different, and merits a description as particular as can be given in the short compass of such a sketch as this.

Strong Loam on a Clay-marl bottom.-Common exertions in common practice diverge into such endless variations, that to note the methods pursued by individuals would fill a volume. In an account of this description, which must be considered but as a sketch

sketch of the subjects to be treated more particu larly by those whose situation enables them locally to give the authority denied to others, it is only practicable to seize the most prominent features, such as best discriminate the system pursued.

In the strong soils of Suffolk, the course of crops, into whatever variations it may usually be thrown, includes summer-fallow as the common preparation for the rotation of corn products; the old system, very general, about fifty or sixty years ago, was the uniform husbandry of unenlightened Europe.

The fallow to prepare for wheat; the wheat succeeded by oats or barley; and that again by the return of fallow. This husbandry is still found, even in inclosed lands. But, generally speaking, it is changed for one of two other courses, either to make the fallow still the preparation for wheat, or to change that crop for barley. In one case it is thus:-1. fallow; 2. wheat; S. barley; 4. clover; 5. wheat; or the same principle governing many variations. This principle is, that a fallow once will enable the farmer to omit it the second return, and even the third also, by means of clover, tares, pease, &c. Thus improv ing a little upon the old true system of a dead fallow every third year.

The other method is a later improvement; to change the principle of relying on a year's tillage as the preparative for wheat, and substituting clover. Thus, 1. fallow; 2. barley; 3. clover; 4. wheat; which, for lands (if such there be) that really demand fallowing, is a correct mode, and seldom practised, except by very good farmers. Others, not of equal intelligence, continue it by the addition of a crop of barley or oats after the wheat; or by sowing clover with that crop, taking pease after the clover, and wheat after the pease.

The note of these courses is sufficient to give the general idea of common practice on this soil. Variations cannot be attended to a notable one is,

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