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 ...

CHAP. XVII.

Wherein I proceed to a second sort of Land, somewhat Inferiour to the former, wherein is discoursed the destruction of the Rush, Flag, and Mare-blab, altering the Coldness of Nature, and the preventing the standing Winters Water, and destroying Ant and Mole-hills, &c. All which are most incident to this se∣cond sort of Land.

THis which I call a second sort is our mid∣ling Land (I delight in plainess, and avoyd all Language darkning the plainest sense, or whatsoever may occasion myste∣riousness, or confusion in the reading or practice) so that this middle sort of Lands, as aforesaid, is all such Lands that are betwixt the value of twenty shil∣lings per Acre, and six shiliings eight pence per Acre, which sort of Lands as they lye under a capacity of the greatest Improvement, I have handled them at large in the fore∣going Discourse, especially under the four first Pieces of Improvement.

But as they lye under a Capacity of a moderate and less Improvement, fall here to be discoursed; and although I call it a moderate Improvement, yet being well Husbandred, ac∣cording to the subsequent directions, may produce a dou∣ble increase, and some far more, and some less, but in all a considerable advantage, enough to encourage to the prose∣cution.

And possibly some of these Lands may be of the richest,

and first sort naturally, but by some Improvidence or ill Husbandry being degenerate are faln under this second,* 1.1 and that where the Rush either hard or soft prevaileth, or else where the Land lyeth so flat, cold and moyst, that the Flag or Mar••-blab thriveth, I shall here onely apply one remedy for the removall of them all, to avoid Tediousness, which is most naturall thereto, and cannot fail being punctually ob∣served, and that is a way all men use already,* 1.2 though to little purpose, which is to indeavour Drayning of the same; as you shall see in most mens Lands, both Pasture and Common, ••ull of Tren∣ches as they can hold, to their great cost, and loss of abundance of good Land devoured in the Trenches, Heaps,* 1.3 and banks, they make, and yet all is of little use, the Rush as fruitfull, and the Land as cold as formerly in comparison. Therefore I shall advise far less Trenching, and yet produce more soundness; I say then, as I have often said, seek out the lowest part of thy Land, and there make either a large Trench or good Ditch, or be it but the old one well scoured up (if there be one) to such a Depth as may carry away that water or Corruption that feeds the Rush, or Flag, from every other upper Trench thou shalt see cause to make, and so ascend to any part of thy Land where these offences are, carrying with thee one Master Trench to re∣ceive all thy less Draines, along with thee, and there make a Drain (yea all thy Draines and Trenches) so deep (for I prescribe no certain depth) as to that Cold spewing wa∣ter that lyeth at the bottom of the Rush,* 1.4 or Flag, which al∣way either lyeth in a Vein of Sand and Gravell mixed, or Gravell or Clay and stones mixed, as aforesaid, and thence will issue a little water, especially making thy Trench half a foot, or one Foot deeper, into which will soak the Rushes food, which being laid Dry and Drayned away cannot grow, but needs dye and wither.

It is impossible without going to the bottome to do any good; Our own experience shews it, and so the depth may be two Spades gra••t or more, however to the bottom thou must go, and then one Trench shall do as much good as twenty, alwaies curiously observing that thy Trenches

run in the lowest part of thy Ground, and through the Coldest and most quealiest parts of thy Lands, and for the manner of making the same, and further Direction therin, I shall refer thee back unto the second Piece, the seventh Chapter, where I have spoken something to most of the a∣foresaid Passages.

But if thy Land lyes upon a Flat or upon a Levell,* 1.5 and have many great wide Balks, of which there wil be no end of Trenching or Drayning, I must then assure thee it is to little purpose, yet art not left remediless, for this insuing direction will not fail, and will bring profit with it to pay for curing also, which is a moderate Plowing, Ridging all thy Balks, raising and Landing all thy Flats, gaining them as high as possibly thou canst, Plow all, and leave none, and do this three yeares together, and observe such former Di∣rections as are contained in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth Chapters in the third Piece of Improvement; And by the blessing of God expect the issue promised, It will lay Land sound and dry, more warm and healthfull than for∣merly, destroy the Rush, and many other Annoyances be∣yond Expectation.

I have been forced to be more large, & to speak twice to one thing, because of the suitableness thereof unto these Lands, but especially because I cannot speak enough to make some to understand it, nor others to set upon the Pra∣ctise, and more especially because the Reader may miss the reading of it in the former part, unless he take the paines as few do deliberately to read the whole; Therefore if thou wilt forgive this fault, Ile mend the next.

As for the Mole-hils, so great an Enemy to the Husband∣man, and Grazier, there is so much Experience made for their Destruction, that almost every Ingenuous man is grown a Moal-catcher in many parts, and that is a certain way, & yet in many parts men are Slothful, that because all their Neighbours wil not kil them, therfore they wil not, so they suffer their Land one third part to be turned up;* 1.6 There is a Law to compell men to Ring their Swine, to prevent their Rooting, it were more advantage to the Cō∣mon-Weal,

a severe Law were made to Compell all men to keep the Moal from Rooting;* 1.7 for he destroyes abundance of Grass he covers with the Mould, and Corn he throws up by the Roots, which utterly perisheth, Spoyls the M••w∣ers work and Tools, and raiseth Balks in Meads, and Pastures, besides the work he makes the Husbandman to spread some of them, the Cost whereof, were it but bestowed in Moal-killing, would prevent the aforesaid losses. And although I can make no new Addition to the Moales De∣struction,* 1.8 there being so many Artists with the Moal••staff, Tines, and Traps of severall Sorts, of all which I commend the Pot-trap set in a Bank, or Hedg-sow, which wisely Set and Planted at all times, but especially in the naturall Sea∣son of Bucking time about March, will destroy them insen∣sibly; Onely one thing more punctually observed in the time of breeding, will make such a Rout among them, which thy self or any ingenuous man may do, as is not credible; one Spring at or about March, one Moal-catcher and his boy, in about ten dayes time in a ground of ninety Acres being just laid down from Tillage, took me as was verily conceived three bushell of old and young, they were not to be num∣bred most of them being young and naked, and this he onely did by casting up their nests, which are alwaies built in a great heap of a double bigness to the rest,* 1.9 most easily dis∣cerned, and then immediatly the old ones would come to look their young which he would snap up presently also. Yet I desire to speak a word by way of Incouragement to the Ingenuous Husbandman not to suffer so great Disho∣nour to Husbandry, nor so great Prejudice to his Profit, as to suffer (were it possible) one to remain either in Til∣lage, Mead, or Pasture, and if thou have any Opportunity of Water to be brought over any part of thy Land,* 1.10 it will drive them out and destroy them so far as thou canst lead it after them, that thou needest not be in any measure troubled with them in thy Meadows.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Usuall wayes to kill the Rush Flag, or Mare'-blab.
• * 1.2

  Drayning the most naturall way.
• * 1.3

  Much Tren∣ching repro∣ved.
• * 1.4

  How to find the matter that ••eed the Rush & Flag.
• * 1.5

  How to drain Land well where there is no end of Trenching.
• * 1.6

  The causes of Moals increa∣sing.
• * 1.7

  VVant of a Law for killi••g of Moales a great mischief
• * 1.8

  Pot-T••••p chief Engine in Moal De∣struction.
• * 1.9

  Destroying the nests destroyes multitudes of them.
• * 1.10

  VVater best to destroy Moals.