115a

March 7 1872 [William E. Darwin]

Teg Down near Winchester

Scale 12 yards to the inch Valley runs N. E. SW Sloping 2° to 3° to N. E

(? see back Never been touched it is believed)

[boxed:] Scale of thickness of mould 1/48 inch to the inch

[sketch:] transverse section

(1) Uplift of mould 4 inches then rubble getting quickly thicker rubble probably 2 to 3 ft before coming to pure chalk

(2) Mould 6 3/4 inches flints & mould 6 inches then rubble

(3) Mould 3 3/4 i flints & mould 5 to 6 inches then rubble

(4) Mould 4 to 4 1/4 i then rubble with few flints no layer of flints.

(5) Mould 5 1/4 i Mould flint & little chalk 5 3/4 then rubble

(6) Mould 6 1/4 i Mould & flints 12 3/4 good deal of mould then rubble

(7) slope of valley 1 3/4° Mould 9 i. 10 1/2 mixed M. & flints then rubble

(c) centre of valley level Mould 8 1/4 to 8 1/2 perhaps sheep horses & man occasionally walking here thru' there is no mark way depress the centre

(8) slope of valley 1 1/4° mould 8 3/4 i

(9) Mould 8 inch

between (10) & (11) remarkable change of level the surface looks quite natural

(10) Mould 7 to 7 1/4 i down on Rubble no flint layer. Castings lighter coloured

5 yards above (10) mould 6 1/2 i in ditch 8 1/2 yd above ditch 5

(11) Mould 2 1/2 inch on chalk rubble no flints layer. Enormous number of castings & lighter coloured

(12) Mould on to chalk lighter coloured

2 yrds to the right [illeg] was 5

(13) Mould 2 inch flint & rubble

between (13) & (14) traces of ditch not a deep one run in direction of run of valley

(14) Turf here was same years ago but laid down again without touching round surface heaps of castings 4-5 i of mould

(15) 3 1/2 to 4 i mould then flint

(16) top of valley general slope to N. E 3 1/2° mould 3 to 4 i [illeg] flint

(17) over brow of hill sloping other way general slope to N.E 2° mould 4 to 4 1/2 i

115b

[sketch:] transverse section, continued

1/4 of scale possibly = 1 inch to 48 yards. Thickness of mould 1/40 of inch to inch

about 200-250 ds lower down his valley where the sides of the valley are not half the height or length, the general slope is about 3° — 2° — 2° here a large bank & ditch runs across bottom, mould 9 i

I never saw grass slopes so covered with casting. In winter Erny has been this bottom after a sharp thaw with 1 ft to 1 1/2 ft of running water in it He is going to ask shepherd how it is after thunder storm.

N. B. Erny is the labourer I had with me

- the weather was dry and on slopes of about 18° — to 20° where there were a great quantity of castings, I found very few loose bits, the castings appear as a rule to stick tight as this dry to the grass — I saw several cases where castings had melted away into the ground again

As Erny said, from the enormous quantity of castings if any considerable portion descended the hill, the tops ought all to be bare

Does the castings get a stickiness from passing through the worm?

115v

April 6 1872 [William E. Darwin]

Rifle Valley — next valley beyond Teg Down

[sketch:] transverse section

Valley runs N.W & S.E.

Section across is N.E to S.W at point X on right the ground slopes in opposite direction at ∠3°

at 1 ∠ down valley in question 1° (one degree) depth of mould — 5 3/4 inches

at 2 ∠ is 23° — Do — 2 to 2 1/4 [inches]

at 3 bottom of steep slope — Do- 4 3/4 to 5

at 4 ∠ between 3 & 4 between 8° & 9° — Do — 8 3/4 to 9

at 5 30 yards up to the other side — Do — 4 3/4

N. B. To all appearance, this valley has no been touched

 

Mem: as to Teg Down on March 28th wind blowing down valley & rain casting flattened down and extended & furrowed in direction of valley

Mem, April 6 Erny (the labourer) and I came to the conclusion that though Teg Down had not been touched for 60 or 70 years as Erny knew for certain, thus some time or other the bottom as shewn by faint lines on each side had some time been broken up.

see between 10 & 11 on the right

115vb

It would be very interesting to get whole worm castings analysed with the weak acid residue [illeg] - & vegetable mould where only it is very thin & over chalk

Also if not [illeg] could the carbon & oxygen [matter] be burnt out of such thin layer of mould?