about a foot deep, more or lefs, in our fields, before we come to anymanifest alteration ,of colour or perfection. This Surface-Mould is thebest and sweetest, being' enriched with all that the air, dews, showers,and celestial influences can contribute to it: for it is with good Earth aswith excellent water; that is the best which with least difficulty receivesall external qualities; for the fatnefs of this under-turf Mould , beingdrawn up by the kindly warmth of the sun to the superficies, spends butlittle of its vigour in the grafs and tender verdure which it produces, andeasily nourishes without difsipating its virtue, provided no rank weeds orpredatious plants (consummating their seeds) be suffered to grow and ex-haust it, but maintains its natural force, and is therefore of all other un-cultivated Moulds the most grateful to the husbandman c .
Now as the rest of incumbent and subjacent Earths approach this in vir-tue, so they are to be valued ; and of these there are several kinds, diftin-guishable by their several constitutions; the best of which is black, fat, yet
porous, light, and sufficiently tenacious,, without any mixture of sand orgravel ; rising in pretty grofs clods at the first breaking up of the plough ;but with little labour and exposure falling to pieces, but not crumblingaltogether into dust, which is the defect of- a more vicious sort. Of thisexcellent black Mould , fit almost for any thing without much manure,there are three kinds, which differ in hue and goodnefs.
The next layer in series to this, is usually mixed with a sprinkling ofstones, somewhat hard, yet friable, and when well aired and stirred, is
1 With this loose covering the Earth is every where invested, unlefs it be washed off
by rains, or removed by some other external violence.-“ It is the Earth that, like a kind
mother, receives us at our birth, and sustains, us when born. It is this alone, of all theelements around us, that is never found an enemy to man. The body ot waters delugehim with rains, opprefs him with hail, and drown him with inundations; the air rushes instorms, prepares the tempest, or lights up the volcano; but the Earth , gentle and indul-gent, ever subservient to the wants of man, spreads his walks with flowers, and his tablewith plenty; returns with interest every good committed to her care; and though she pro-duces the poison, she still supplies the antidote; though constantly teased more to furnishthe luxuries of man than his necefsilies, yet, even to the last, she continues her kind in-dulgence, and when life is over, she piously hides his remains in her bosom.” PU n , N atlHist. 1. ii.