OF SCOTLAND.
435
SECT. IV.
NOTATION ON SANDY SOILS.
-Burning sand or gravel can hardly be considered in anyrespect as soil, in so far as tillage or husbandry is concerned,if taken in the literal sense of the arrangement. By sandysoils therefore, must be here understood, such species of loamysand or gravel, as approach towards the nature of burningsand, having so little clay in their composition as not to pos-sess any plastic adherence either in their wet or dry state.From these soils very little produce is in general to be ex-pected, either under grain or grass, as they are prone, byeven a short continuance of dry weather, to be so parched,as to stunt the growth of every thing they can be made to pro-duce. If, however, situation and circumstances admit oftheir being largely dressed with marl, especially that which iscalled clay marl, or even clay itself, or alluvial compost, so asto give them some degree of body or tenacity, they tend pro-portionally towards loamy sand or light turnip soil, and arechanged by that means into the kind of soil treated of in thepreceding section. Peat also has been found an excellentmanure for this description of soil *.
Such soils, when sufficiently manured, are well adapted forturnips, which ought always to be consumed on the ground,as these soils can hardly ever be made too rich; and fromtheir nature they very soon expend all the muck which isgiven them. On them wheat or pulse can rarely be cultiva-