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 ...

Now to proceed to the Fourth generall Head of this discourse, to set forth the best way of Improvement of the aforesaid Lands.

I shall say the less, because through my whole discourse it is my main Scope, and so shall confine my self onely to some of those particulars more peculiar to these Lands, though being substantially drained, they are capable of the impress of any Husbandry whatsoever; I shall therfore di∣vide the Fen-lands into three sorts. First, The sound dry Land, seldom, or never drowned. The Second shall be your constant drowned Lands in times of great Flouds. And the Third shall be your lowest Land of all, that lieth constantly so wet and cold, that it is turned into a very Moor or Bog.

1. Your dry Lands, I for the present account them the very best, and most capable of raising the greatest present profit, I shall therefore (because it is fruitfull of it self to grass, and will yeeld advance enough thereby, and also be∣cause there will be enough for many years of the other two sorts remain to husbandrize, and toss and tumble up and down) perswade to lay it all for pasturage, until your other Lands be perfectly recovered and improved; but this may prove undoubtedly excellent Hemp-land, Oad-land, & may be, Mather-land, and most excellent, yea rather too good for Cole and Rape-seed, because there will be other wors∣er, enough for that.

2. To the second sort, only drowned by up-land flouds, & so lie dry when the floud is gone, I say, if this be not lea∣vened with coldness, or steeped so w^th constant corrupt wa∣ter, that it is turned into a moorishness, but yet remaines perfect Land, and clear Soard, this very Land may prove your best Land in a little time, and therefore I shall onely for the reducing hereof, advise to a moderate plowing of it; and for the reducing of it to perfect soundness, advise to raise it every plowing, dividing each ground into lands a∣bout three yards over, or thereabout, which will take two casts of seed, and in five or six tilths will rise up to so con∣venient a height, as will lay it sound and dry, and increase your Land also; yet however you must not endeavour the laying any Land any higher than your drains will be sure to draw your furrows: But in case the Level of your water will not admit you to raise up your Lands to so good a height, then you were best make your Lands somewhat les∣ser, and then the fewer plowings will lay them round and sound: but be carefull not to make your last furrow alwais in one place, but in each plowing shift one furrow, or more, sometimes one way, and somtimes another, and this wil preserve the furrow from overmuch barrenness.

This Land may be suitable and very excellent for Cole∣seed, and coming to its perfect soundness for most of the a∣foresaid opportunities, but exceeding rich for all sorts of Grain, out of question, onely I shall earnestly perswade not to plow too oft, nor impoverish it too much at first, for hereby most men undo their Lands. I conceive it best not to plow any of these Lands no longer than it is brought into a perfect Tilth, or one year after, three years may do best, though four years may do well, and you will find a gal∣lant sweet Turf succeed, and soard thick suddenly and sweetly, and your succeeding profits, all things consider∣ed, may reach your very benefit of corning to a very neer scantling. I have heard very many object that matchless prejudice by so tedious and thin Soarding, and have affirm∣ed they have tried it by experience, and find plowing wo∣fully destructive; And if you should demand how many years they plowed it, they must needs answer, some 5, some

6, some 7, some 8, and some 10, and others more; and if you again ask them how they laid it down, they must say for the general, they cast them down, and left an open Ridge to grass; and if you should again demand upon what stubbles or eadish did you lay down your Land for grass, some say upon the Peas stubble, or Barley, and here & there one upon the Oats, which is better than either of the for∣mer, but none say upon Wheat or Rie, which I as highly commend, and for the first yeares Soarding goes beyond them all; they neither bestowed any soil upon it first, nor so much as a few hay-seeds at laying down, and yet they will tell you a story of I know not what experiences they have made, when alas they never knew that an Experiment must hold in all its parts, and relate to times, seasons, na∣tures, as well as fruit and crop, and so bring an ill report upon the best husbandry, and stifle their own greatest gain. But of this no more, because in other parts of the Book it is more largely discussed, yet bear with me if repeated, be∣cause this is the discovery of the husbanding of a new World, as a man may call it.

I proceed to the Third sort,* 1.1 w^ch is your lowest land of all, and lieth deep and long drowned, that it is even turned to very Turf or Bog, and very little useful, onely two or three months in summer it is commonable; but whether profitable or no, I scarce know, nor (being a stranger both in those parts, & to those Lands) will I be peremptorily confident in any thing, as will not hold proportion and use with other Lands; I shall therefore only question whether in comm••∣ning upon these Lands they do not oft stiflle their cattell in the morishest places; & whether they rot them not, or choke them not, through many uncurable diseases by reason of the unwholsomness of their pasturage. This I dare affirm, I have seen many poor thin cattel, which have brought Pharaohs lean ill favoured kine into my mind, and such truly as I have not so familiarly seen upon heathy barren Commons, ten Acres whereof is not worth one of these, and yet thou∣sands are prejudiced against the draining of them; but to the Land it self, being recovered and laid dry, it will require more time to recover it self than the other better Lands, &

require more cost and husbandry to bring it to Fertility; and though all the preceding directions are, or may be ap∣plyable here unto it in their propor Seasons, yet some other work may be more naturall as a ground-work to other Hus∣bandry, and that chiefly upon your hassocky morish rough Land, the which being left to grass, I cannot conceive it worth in its present state not above 3 or 4^s. per Acre, and some under, and yet that very same Land, by paines and patience may recover to be very good Land immediately. I shall therefore advise that this Land be turved, or as some call it,* 1.2 denshired, that is, all the hassocks cut up, and the over∣turf parted up, and all laid upon little heaps till throughly dry, and then burned to ashes, and if it be all stringy, rooty, and very combustible matter, then the thicker you pare it up the better; for although I differ from many of the West-Country Husbands about this denshiring their thin turved Lands, that are pure from roots, twitch, or moss, conceiving (that though it bring their Land into sudden Tillage, and to yeeld out it's Spirit the first year) it weakens the Land much,* 1.3 there being no addition to it but a few bushels of ashes to an Acre, in stead of good Turf or Soard, that in a Summers working will be easily brought to Tillage, and (as I believe) ads more by far to the fatting of the Land than those ashes do; and I am sure, when any one layeth down his lands to grass, upon this Husbandry, the Soard comes pale and wan, and very lean and low, and never riseth to a good Crop, and whosoever seriously observes the same, shal find that very issue; yet to Lands of this nature I as highly extoll it,* 1.4 and to all such foul Lands, where is depth of soil enough, and all so combustible as nothing else will work it unto Tillage. In the midst of May, or any time in the very beginning of Sum∣mer, when the Land is thorough dry, is best, and the earliest also, that you may have as much of the Summer as you can, to the working of your other Tillages, which being burned in a dry season, proceed to plowing and ridging up your Lands, and dividing them into such proportions as your drains will bear, as is directed in the aforesaid last particular, & this will then be fit to take the impress of any seed; much of this will bear Cole-seed, or any grain, which I leave to the

discretion of the Country Experiences, onely pray you study laying all sound and warm; plow not too long, and lay it down to grass either upon the Oat-stubble, which will soard exceeding well the second year, if not the first, or upon wheat or Rie, the Land harrowed and laid very smooth; this will soard excedingly the first year, as in other places of the Book. I have at large discoursed. And as your Land recovers sound∣ness, you will by your improving your own experiences, have more Talents added to these, you have more opportunities to raise 〈◊〉〈◊〉 advantages out of them.

Now to the conclusion of this Chapter,* 1.5 I shall onely add a word or two of Sea-drowned Lands, and it shall be very little, because as to the improvements of them whatever hath been before spoken and applied to other Lands, may be to these, which being once recovered, are very sound dry Land many of them, and the rest may be reduced there∣unto by good divisions and draines, as in all other Marsh-Lands.

All the mystery of this is in the recovery of them, which to discourse at large, would be more tedious than profita∣ble, because as to the materials for imbanking or bounding the Sea, whether Stone, Chalk, Wood, or Earth, little can be said, because all must be referred to the conveniency and necessity of the place upon which they are requirable, onely there must be great regard had to the force of the Sea that lies upon them, and the strength and violence of the winds to which it lyeth most obnoxious; for I am perswaded it is not so oft the Sea it self that makes the breach, as the strength of the winds that forceth it over the banks; nei∣ther can I prescribe the severall Locks or Water-gates necessa∣ry for letting out the Heavens water, nor the bigness or strength of them, that being proper to the place upon which they are to be erected, there to be discoursed and described, and the common Engineers are very customarily used therto; As to some good ingenious painfull Artist, little can be added, so that there remaines only that I advise to these two or three general directions.

First, That you be very carefully observant of the power and way of the Seas working; for although it is possible much

Lands may be gained from the Sea, yet it is not possible at all times to keep the same when it is gained; therefore where-ever you see the Sea get or recover upon any Land, be wary there, rather study to stop the Sea there on the borders, and to divert the force of it another way, which will sometime more easi∣ly receive a check than at other times and places; but if that be not stayable, I should advise not to be too busy there, but where the Sea loseth, and Land increaseth, there is a more probable opportunity, and there I should rather pitch down my staff. There is store of these Lands to be recovered, so that I would not perswade any to streighten themselves with hazards and inconveniences, when there is such a wide opportunity for the ingenious to improve both parts and purses on the borders of these Nations.

Secondly, Be very carefull of placing your out-fals and wa∣ter-gates in so convenient parts as may both be best for the firm draining of your Lands, and for the firm founding of your Sluces and Water-gates, both in relation to the Earth you plant them on, and the force or strength of the water that lieth against them, or accidentally through some fierce storm that may come upon them; this hath been the overthrow of some gallant works, and particular rules here cannot be dis∣coursed but through so much tediousness as will tire thy pa∣tience, which I must forbear.

Thirdly, Be above measure studious about thy Imbank∣ments, that a foundation be so firmly laid to the bottom with such materialls as will hold out the triall; therefore in every new work some triall would be made of all materials, and therein thou must be steered by those the very place affords, whether Stone, Chalk, Wood, or Earth, or all, and the pre∣sent experience upon the place will be a better Tutor than I can possibly, for I much question whether the carriage of a∣ny of these far, will answer the cost or hazards run therein. Be sure your foundation be broad, well ramm'd together, and so raised with solid matter and workmanship a good height above the highest Tides, and curiously turved or sodded on the Sea-side; the better is your Turf the firmer is your work; for if that it once begin to hole, or break, look to the main, it is in danger, and ever be sure your new works be made the

highest, because an overflowing upon an old work is not so dangerous as upon the new, that it quickly and easily over∣throws.

Lastly, Be sure of ingenious and laborious workmen; an idle slubberer will both deceive the work and Master, study not so much cheap wages, as to have your work well done for good wages; carefull ingenious Overseers of the Labourers is an unvalued furtherance to the work, some men have an excellent Genius that way, will awe men more with their wise industri∣ous oversight, and skill in mens frame of Spirits, and wise de∣signing each man to his place and work, that al of them shal be as members of the body, co-adjutors to the whole, one take it from another, so as no work be done twice over, nor one mans labour bear out another mans sloth, but each be helpfull to another,* 1.6 so as to advance the main. I tell you this is a my∣stery, and a man rightly qualified for this work is worth gold, and very rarely to be found. I have seen some Bayliffs intrusted herein, stand telling a story, while all his workmen have stood looking him in the face, admiring him for his Rhe∣torick, and this hath pleased him as well as their working; many have an easie way of hindering work, but few of further∣ing it, and he is a rare man that can sort all his works so into each workmans hand, as that it goes on to purpose; confusion is through ignorance and sloth; a good method, or plat-form to advance each mans labour to the best furtherance of a work, is difficult, requires great ingenuity, and laborious study, I find it most difficult, though I have had as large experience of it as most Englishmen, yet cannot accomplish it, but many times ran into confusion, through mens rudeness, and my want of each particular experience in each work, the which I instance as a Rock for others, to beware, and prize and value a good Overseer, whose countenance and conversation is such with workmen, as will not onely awe and force them, but his wise and loving demeanor will compel them to their utmost faith∣fulness; a work in its geares will thrive exceedingly. And so I have done at present with this particular, till I have gained some more, and new experiences; and with this Chapter.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A new World may best ad∣mit of new Husbandry
• * 1.2

  Denshi••ing Fen lands very usefull.
• * 1.3

  Denshiring lands reproved in the West.
• * 1.4

  Burning Land extolled in the North.
• * 1.5

  Lands drown∣ed by the Sea.
• * 1.6

  A Good Over∣seer worth Gold.