The English improver improved, or, The svrvey of hvsbandry svrveyed discovering the improueableness of all lands some to be under a double and treble, others under a five or six fould, and many under a tenn fould, yea, some under a twenty fould improvement / by Walter Blith ... ; all clearely demonstrated from principles of reason, ingenuity, and late but most real experiences and held forth at an inconsiderable charge to the profits accrewing thereby, under six peeces of improvement ...

The second Piece of Improvement con∣taining the Drayning, or Reducing of Boggy Lands to sound Pasture, is further discoursed in the Chapters fol∣lowing.

CHAP. VII.

WHerein is to be handled Drayning, or taking away Superfluous and Venomous Water, which lyeth in the Earth, and much occasioneth Bogginess, Miri∣ness, Rushes, Flags, and other filth, and is indeed the chief cause of Barrenness in any Land of this nature. Something I have already spoken as to Bogginess, that ly∣eth under a Capacity to be floated with Water, either Ri∣ver or Land-floods; in the Reducement whereof, you must precisely apply your self to al Parts of the former Chapter, for bringing your Water upon your Land, and working it also, and taking it off again; Especially that your Dray∣ning-Trench or Trenches (for possibly in this sort of Land more may be required, according to the nature of the lying of your Land, if Uneven, and full of Dales, and Vallies) be made one Spades graft or pitch below the matter of the Bog, I mean the Spring, for so it is; which must be clearly Drayned, which I cannot too oft remind you of; But now I onely speak to those Lands which are from under such a Capacity of floating with Water; And are onely such as are covered with constant Water, and Lakes, or else the Boggy, Miry Lands, it self, and have no River, or Land-flood to be brought over them, and the remedies being equally

applicatory to both for the most part, I will propose gene∣rall remedies. I say that Drayning is an excellent and chief∣est meanes for their Reducement; and for the depth of such Draynes I cannot possibly bound, because I have not time, and opportunity, to take in all circumstances, therefore in generall thus.

Be sure thy Draines be such,* 1.1 and so deep, and so deep, as thou hast a descent in the end thereof to take away all thy water from thy Drayn to the very bottom, or else it is to no use at all; for suppose thou make thy Drain as high as an house, and canst not take thy water from it, thy work is lost; for look how low soever is thy lowest levell in thy Drain, thou mayst drain thy water so low, and not one haires breadth lower will it drain thy ground than theu hast a fall or de∣sent to take it cleanly from thy Drain; therefore be especi∣ally carefull herein, and then if thou canst get a low descent from thence, carry thy Drain upon thy Levell untill thou art assuredly got under that moysture, mirinesse, or water, that either offends thy Bog, or covers thy Land; and goe one Spades graft deeper by all meanes, or therea∣bouts, and then thou needest not tye thy self precisely to a dead Levell, but as thy ground riseth, or as the moysture ly∣eth higher, so mayst thou rise also, so that thou keep one Spades graft as aforesaid under it;* 1.2 and that thou mayst not fall herein, observe that in Cold Rushy Land this moysture or cold hungry water is found beneath the first and second swarth of thy Land; and then oft-times thou commest imme∣diately unto a little Gravill, or Stoniness, in which this water is, and sometimes below this in a hungry gravell, and many times this Gravell or Stoniness lyeth lower as a∣foresaid; but in Boggy Land it usually lyeth deeper than in Rushy, but to the bottom where the spewing Spring lyeth thou must goe, and one spades depth or graft beneath, how deep soever it be, if thou wilt drain thy Land to purpose. I am forced to use Repetions of some things, be∣cause of the suitableness of the things, to which they are ap∣plyed; as also because of the slowness of peoples Apprehen∣sions of them, as appeares by the non-practise of them, the

which were ever you see drayning and trenching you shal rarely find few or none of them wrought to the bot∣tom.

And for the matter or Bogg-maker that is most easily discovered,* 1.3 for sometimes it lyeth within two foot of the top of the ground, and sometimes and very usually within three or four foot, yet also some lye far deeper, six, eight, or nine foot, and all these are feazable to be wrought, and the Bog to be discovered, but not untill thou come past the black Earth, or Turf, which usually is two or three foot thick, unto another sort of Earth, and sometimes to old Wood; and Trees, I mean the proportion and form there∣of, but the nature is turned as soft, and tender as the earth it self, which have layen there no man knowes how long, and then to a white Earth many times,* 1.4 like Lime as the Tan∣ner, and white-Tawer, takes out their Lime-pits, and then to a Gravell, or Sand, where the water lyeth, and then one Spades depth clearly under this which is indeed nothing else but a spring that would fain burst forth at some certain place, which if it did clearly break out, and run quick and lively as other Springs do, thy Bog would dy, but being held down by the power and weight of the Earth, that op∣poseth the Spring which boyles and workes up into the Earth, and as it were blowes it up, and filleth the Earth with Wind, as I may call it, and makes it swell and rise like a Puf-ball, as seldom or never you shall find any Bogg, but it lyeth higher and rising from the adjacent Land to it, so that I beleeve could you possibly light of the very place where the Spring naturally lyeth, you need but open that very place to your Quick-spring, and give it a clear vent, and certainly your Bog would decay, by reason whereof it hath so corrupted and swoln the Earth, as a Dropsie doth the Body, for if you observe the Mould, it is very light, and hollow, and three foot square thereof is not above the weight of one sollid foot of naturall Earth, Clay, or Land, whereby I conceive that how much soever this Mould is forced from the naturall weight, or hardness of solid Earth, or Clay, so much it is corrupted, swoln, or increa∣sed

and blown up, and so much it must be taken down, or let forth, before ever it be reduced; I therefore prescribe this direction, (viz.)

Go to the bottom of the Bog,* 1.5 and there make a Trench in the sound ground, or else in some old Ditch, so low as thou verily conceivest thy self assuredly under the Levell of the Spring or spewing water, and then carry up thy Trench into thy Bog straight through the middle of it, one foot under that Spring or spewing water upon thy Levell, un∣less it rise higher, as many times the water or Spring riseth as the Land riseth, and sometimes lyeth very levell unto the very head of thy Bog, unto which thou must carry thy Drain, or within two or three yards of the very head of it, and then strike another Trench overthwart the very head both wayes, from that middle Trench, as far as thy Bog go∣eth, all along to the very end of it, still continuing one foot at least under the same, and possibly this may work a strange change in the ground, of it self, without any more Tren∣ching,

But for these common and many Trenches,* 1.6 oft times crooked too, that men usually make in their Boggy grounds, some one foot, some Two, never having respect to the cause or matter that maketh the Bog, to take that way, I say a∣way with them as a great piece of Folly, lost labour and spoyl; which I desire as well to preserve the Reader from, as to put him upon any profitable Experiment: for truly they do far more hurt than good, destroy with their Trench and Earth cast out, half their Land, danger their Cattell, and when the Trench is old it stoppeth more than it taketh a∣way, & when it is new, as to the destroying the Bog it doth just nothing, onely take away a little water, which falles from the heavens, and weakens the Bog nothing at all, and to the end it pretends is of no use, for the cause thereof lyeth beneath and under the bottom of all their workes, and so remaines as fruitfull to the Bog as before, and more secure from reducement than if nothing was done at all upon it.* 1.7

Or thus thou mayst work it some what a more certain

way but more chargable, (viz.) After thou hast brought a Trench to the bottom of the Bog, then cut a good Sub∣stantiall Trench about thy Bog, I mean according to the form of thy Bog, whether round, square, or long, or three or four yards within thy Boggy ground, for so far I do ve∣rily beleeve it will Drayn that which thou leavest with∣out thy Trench at the depth aforesaid, that is underneath the spring water round; And when thou hast so done, make one work or two just overthwart it, upwards and down∣wards, all under the matter of the Bog, as is aforesaid, and in one yeares patience through Gods blessing, expect thy de∣sired Issue; and if it be in such a place as will occasion great danger to thy Cattell, then having wrought thy Works, and Draines as aforesaid, all upon straight lines, by all meanes, prevent as many Angls,* 1.8 Crookes, and Turnings as is possi∣ble, for those will but occasion stoppages of the water, and filling up of Trenches, and loss of ground, and much more trouble than otherwise. Then thou must take good green Faggots, Willow, Alder, Elm, or Thorn, and lay in the bottom of thy works, and then take thy Turf thou tookest up in the top of thy Trench,* 1.9 and Plant upon them with the green Soard downwards, and then fill up thy works levell again, untill thou come to the bottom or neather end of thy work, where thy Trench is so shallow, that it will not indanger thy Cattell; or rather take great Pibble stones or Flint stones, and so fill up the bottom of thy Trench about fifteen Inches high,* 1.10 and take thy Turf and plant it as aforesaid, being cut very fit for the Trench, as it may joyn close as it is laid down, and then having cove∣red it all over with Earrh, and made it even as the other ground, wait and expect a wonderfull effect through the blessing of God; but if thou mayst without eminent danger leave thy workes open, that is most certain of all. I might make more particular Application of the premises to the drowned and covered parts of the Fens and Marshes in the next Chapter, upon which they wil have such an Operation, as to reduce them to perfect Pasture,* 1.11 and to great profit, and to all sorts of such natured Lands, thou mayst apply them

and save me much labour, being the main meanes of Fen Drayning. As for Sluces, Flood-gates, Waires, and Dams, are but secundary meanes, and being the proper work of an Engineer or good Carpenter, I shall say no more for brevi∣ty sake: But if thou canst by any meanes make thy self ca∣pable of bringing any constant Stream or powerfull Land∣flood and Water, and constantly Flow over the same, as in the former Chapter, that will reduce it to a greater Ad∣vance,* 1.12 and work the most certainest destruction to the Bog of all, as I have before declared by Experience.

As I conceive, the Bogs in many parts of the Nation were occasioned thus: wherever is a Bog,* 1.13 I am confident was for∣merly a Spring, which Spring running and venting it self, kept the Land round about it sound and dry, as where most clear Springs are at this day; but the said Spring stop∣ping up, either with leaves, or Cattels treading, or wood falling upon the same, or other filth (for I beleeve many, or most parts of this Land was very woody in former Ages) the Spring was stopped that it could not clearly vent, and so be∣ing a Living water, would not be suppressed, or buried, but swels and boyles up into Bogginess, and so vents it self by little and little in a greater Compass of Land, because it cannot break forth clear together in a lesser, because of the pressure and weight of the Earth upon it, and this is the most naturall cause thereof that I can gather; And my Reason is this, In many Bogs (I will not say in all) I have found great Pieces, or Boughes, or Bodies of Trees lying in the bottom of the Bog, Four or Five foot deep, in the full proportion of a Tree or Bough, as it fell in, but when you come to take it up, you may cut it with your Spade just as as you do your Earth, and it goes to Earth, but how this should come so low, and lye so deep, and so familiarly in Lands of this nature, and not as frequently upon sound Lands, I cannot conceive otherwise than as aforesaid.

Notes

• * 1.1

  How to make thy Drayn to drain a Bog to purpose.
• * 1.2

  Where water lyeth in Rushy Land.
• * 1.3

  The matter that feeds the Bog, where that lyeth.
• * 1.4

  Every Bog hath most cer∣tainly a living Spring within it.
• * 1.5

  Shewing how every Drayn must ••e carried up from the lowest levell.
• * 1.6

  Shallow Trench repre∣hended.
• * 1.7

  The most sure way to destroy a Bog.
• * 1.8

  The prejudice by crooks and angles in water courses.
• * 1.9

  How to make Draynes with∣out any preju∣dice to any sheep or b••ast
• * 1.10

  The best way of preventing danger to Cat∣tell in Dray∣ning.
• * 1.11

  Fens and Mar∣shes reco••ery.
• * 1.12

  Floring best destroyes a Beg.
• * 1.13

  The probable occasion or first cause of Bogginess.