Soil: ground. This word refers both to the consistency of the soil on which one is to build, and to the piece of ground which has been reserved for a garden. Land must therefore be considered in relation to both building and gardening. We will also consider it according to its qualities and tillings.

Land and the art of building.

Loam: a rich soil without gravel with which mortar, and clay and straw mortar, are made in some areas.

Solid earth: a general term applied to consolidated, unbroken soil which is made into cubic toises or reduced to a cubic toise in order to estimate the amount one has dug. [1]

New soil: soil which has not yet been exposed to the air or dug. It is also called fresh soil.

Made ground: earth which has been transported from one place to another in order to fill in ditches, and for spreading evenly over a piece of land in order to level it.

Banked-up ground: this term refers to soil which is turned over in order to be removed, and also to that which remains to form a raised terrace or parterre in a garden. If the soil is banked up against a party wall, the thrust of the soil may cause the wall to collapse, because the two properties will no longer have the same ground level. It is therefore advisable, and even necessary, to make a supporting wall to one third of the height of the banked-up ground which is strong enough to resist the thrust, and to add spurs to the side of the banked-up ground.

Land and gardening.

Good or fertile soil: soil which does not need to be enriched or tilled in order for seeds or plants to grow vigorously. It is usually black, rich, and light.

Mould: soil which is unmixed, wholesome, and has no stones or rubble, and which, being rich, sticks to one’s fingers and is good for grazing, such as the soil of a good meadow.

Productive soil: quality soil in a site of a favourable exposure, in which plants yield early, such as the soil found halfway down a south- facing slope.

Loose soil: light, powdery soil. Gardeners call it crumbly soil. [2] It is suitable for covering over and supporting a newly-planted tree.

New soil: soil which has never been cultivated, such as that taken from a depth of five or six feet.

Poor quality soil.

Hot or scorched earth; light, dry soil. Soil which will make plants wither in the heat if it is not enriched. It is usually used for espaliers.

Heavy soil: soil which resembles clay and loam and is so solid that it is useless when not enriched. It is used for making basins.

Cold soil: damp soil which yields late in the season but is usually enriched with manure.

Pebbly soil: stony soil which is ameliorated by being passed through a riddle. [3]

Barren soil: sandy, dry, sterile soil which is not worth tilling.

Tufaceous soil: soil which resembles tufa and is consequently poor and unproductive. It is generally removed from gardens because it is cheaper to replace it with good soil than to enrich it.

Poor soil: soil in which plants cannot strike root because it is too light, and which is enriched with mould.

Soil and its tillings.

Enriched soil: soil which, having been dug and manured several times, is ready to receive all sorts of plants. Poor soil which is ameliorated by being mixed with other soil is also called enriched soil.

Prepared earth: soil which is mixed separately for each particular plant or flower.

Piled up earth: good soil with which poor soil is replaced for planting.

Fallow land: soil which has been left to lie fallow for a year or two, that is, which has been unproductive or uncultivated.

Exhausted soil: soil which has been worked for a sustained period without having been enriched.

Notes

1. See article Dumpling, old man.

2. That is, friable soil, though Jaucourt uses the adjective ‘miette’ rather than ‘friable’.

3. This soil is very suitable for growing vines (Larousse, 1866-78, v.668).