$ AGRICULTURAL SURVEY

SECT. 4—Soil and Surface.

THe features of this county are, in many places, ſtrongly marked; towards the north they are bold and pictureſque, di- verſified with alpine mountains and fertile vales. The north- caſt part of the county,- Blackburn, Clithero, Haflingden,&c- is rugged, interſperſed with many rivulets, with a thin ſtratum of upper ſoil; the ſouthern part more ſoftened, and the plains are more fertilized: along the ſea coaſt, the land is chiefly fiat, and has the appearance, in many places, as if formerly covered by the ocean. In various fields at Formby, near the fhore, there is ſoil above two feet below the ſand, which lies beneath the-pre- ſent green-ſward. There are the ſtrongeſt reaſons for believing that dis ſoil(which‘is about four inches thick) originally formed the ſurface of. the ground, and was gradually buried by ſand from the neighbouring hills. Few countries produce greater varieties of ſoil, which yet does not change ſo rapidly as in ſome others.

The greateſt proportion of that diſtri, which lies between the Ribble and the Merſey; has for its ſuperficies a ſandy loam, well adapted to the production of almoſt every vegetable that has yet been brought under cultivation, and that to a degree which renders it impoſible to eſtimate the advantage which might be obtained, by improved and ſuperior management. ‘Ehe ſubſtratum of this ſoil is generally the red rock, or clay- marle, an admirablé ſandy loam, perhaps one of the moſt de- ſirable ſoils that can be found, equally well adapted to the pro- dudtion of every vegetable. In this diſtri there is little or no gravelly ſoil, no chalk or flint, no ſtony land, and very little obdurate clay, for the generality of it(except what is under graſs, and indeed much of that) is treated in a man- ner that does little credit to this æra of improved and enlight- ened agriculture. There is alſo a black ſandy loam, ſome- thing diſtin& from the above deſcription, which has no red rock, but the ſubſtratum white ſand, under which is clay, and then marle. There are alſo tras of white ſand lands, and ſome

ttle pebbly-gravel lands,‘There are many large tracts which come

2

e273 A

E

ES