Ichnographia Rustica: V. 3

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1718. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... Room to enlarge on what I take to be the very Essential Parts of every Purchasers Choice in a Country Seat, ia Respect to Wood* Water, and a proper Soil. SECTION IIL Of the poser Chcice cf Soils, &c. for a Country Seat* ONE of the first and Principal Choices, every Purchaser, Builder and Gardener* ought to make, is that of a good Soil: The best of which are a sandy Loame, and commonly lies in middling Fields or lip-lands5 or the next a fine Pasture Black Mold, and both of these when they are fresh} or as the ingenuous Mr. Lawrence terms them, untryed Molds are of excellent Use, both for Timber, Fruit, Flowers, and Herbidge : It is of great Consequence likewise, what lies next, or is at the Bottom of this upper Surface, which if one could chuse, should be One and a Half or Two Foot deep: The best of our Bottoms then I esteem to be Gravel, Chalk or Shelly Rock mix'd with Earth, which always abounds with Vrith a nitrous Improvement, that Trees de*. light in very much, for that the other Bottoms of a barren Sand or Clay are both per^ nicious, the one carrying off the Nourishment from the Roots too fast, and the other re taining it too long 5 the Bottoms of Grave), &c above-mention'd are so very advantagious to Fruit, that when there is a proportionable Depth of Earth, I scarce ever knew it miss, and the Fruit to be much sweeter and better, than upon loose unlimited Bottoms, this will be hinted more at in other Places j and. as for chalky Bottoms, I have; . seen so many Instances of the Sweetness of the Fruit, that grows thereon in the West Country, contrary to my Observation in that particular in other Places, that I certainly conclude, that it is that that makes the Efc sential Difference in the Taste of Fruit ii? the' South and North more than the Sun 5 W...