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 ...

A Table of the most principall Heads and branches of this Discourse, as they are laid down under the severall main Peeces of the Book, and illustrated in that Chapter discoursing each par∣ticular Peece.

Chap. I.

SHeweth the antiquity and necessity of Hus∣bandry. pag. 3, 4, 5.

Chap. II.

• The causes of barrenness as they are in men. 6, 7, 8.
• The causes of barrenness as in the land it selfe. 9. to 14.

The first Peece contains the 3, 4, 5, and 6 Chap. Treating of the Remedies against Barrenness, and particularly of Floating and Watering Land.

Chap. III.

• Sheweth what Land lyeth best for advancement by water. 17.
• Of impounding water upon land, & in what case. 18.
• ...

Chap. IV. & V.

• How and where to begin your first watering, and how to proceed. 21.
• How to make the floating and drayning Trench. 22.
• What makes the watering land so fruitfull. 23.
• The best flowing season upon all lands. 24, 25.
• The advantages of watering land. 25.
• Presidents of watered land. ibid. & 26.
• As well too much trenching as too little. ibid.

Chap. VI.

• A larger explanation both of the floating and draining Trench. 27.
• How to prevent heaping of the earth in trenching. 28.
• The manner of levelling land by the plough to water. 29.
• The speediest way for soarding Land after levelling. 30, 31.
• To level by spade, and what a man may do a day. 30.

The second Peece hath the 7, 8, 9, & 10 Chap. Containing draining Fen, reducing Bog, and recovering Sea-land.

Chap. VII.

• To drain a bog, and where the water lieth. 33.
• What makes a bog, and how to carry a drain. 34. 35, 36.
• Best and certainest way to d••stroy the bog totally. 36.
• The great prejudice by crooks and angles in water-courses. ibid.
• How to make deep drains without any danger to cat∣tel. ibid.
• ...

Chap. VIII.

• Answereth severall objections made against the pro∣babilities of so great advance by floating. 38
• Cutting Water-courses streight no small advantage. 42.
• Some Mils destroy more than they are worth. 43.

Chap. IX.

• Sheweth a brief and plain discovery of the most feaci∣ble way of Fen-draining, or regaining drowned lands, or in bounding of the Sea from it. 45.
• Hindrances of Fen-draining. 51, 52.
• The cure, or best and speediest way of reducing drown∣ed lands unto perfect soundnes. 53.
• The best way to improve drowned lands. 58.

Chap. X.

• Directions to make and use severall Tooles or Instru∣ments which shall much facilitate the work▪ 65
• The manner and form of a true, and speediest Levell that I can devise. 66.
• The Trencheng Plough. 67.
• The Turving Spade. 68.
• The Trenching Spade. ibid.
• The Paring Spade. 70.
• The use of the Paring Spad. 71.

The Third Peece hath the 11, 12, 13, & 14. Chap. Sheweth to inclose without offence, & prevent depopulation that is most common, attendant and appurtenant to enclosure, & how to make severable Errable, cōmon field Lands, & com∣mon Heaths, Mores, Forrests, Wasts, to e∣very particular Interests, & the Com∣mon-wealths great advantage

Chap. XI.

Treateth of Improving Land by Pasture; Reproves Depopulation, proves excellent Advantages by Inclosure, and taketh away the usuall Scandalls laid upon it. pag. 72.

Chap. XII.

Sheweth the Land capable of Enclosure, and the Me∣thod of it, how it advanceth the Publick-Weal and all particulars interests. 77.

Chap. XIII.

• Sheweth the tillage, and the great profit thereof, and the great Advance is made out of severall Enclo∣sed Countries beyond Champian, as also the great Improvement of Heaths, Mores and Forrests. 83.
• Cavills against Improvement in Common. 85.
• Advantage of Inclosures. 87.

The fourth Peece contains the 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. chap. And sheweth how to Plow and Corn old Pasture-Land and double the Improve∣ment of it; and sheweth many particu∣lar waies of Improvement of other sorts of Lands.

Chap. XIV.

• Sheweth how to bank An-hills most speedily. 98.
• The best way to destroy Rush or coldness in any Pasture. ibid.

Chap. XV.

• Sheweth the manners of Plowing, and working Lands to so great advance, with two incredible Presidents of Advance. 100.
• Especiall directions for Plowing. ••01
• A Noble experiment of Improvement. ibid.

Chap. XVI.

• Sheweth the best and most advantagious way of Plowing and Husbandring Lands, so as most to advantage it, in laying down Land to graze, to make good the Improvement promised, and not to overplow, as you tender the loss of your Land 103.
• The way of sowing Land to be left after to Grass. 106.
• Moderate Ploughing better than unlimited mow∣ing. 108.
• Plowing the onely cure of Weeds. 110.
• Reasons why quick sets thrive no better. 114.

Chap. XVII.

• Sheweth the dectruction of the Rush, Flag, Mare∣blad, altering the coldness of Nature, and the pre∣venting of the standing Winters Water, and the destroying Ant, and Moul-hils &c. 116.
• The causes of Moales increasing. 118.

Chap. XVIII.

• Sheweth how to destroy Ant-hils more pestlent and offensive than the former in some sort of Lands. 120.
• Sow-thistles a great annoyance. 121.
• The easiest way to destroy them. 122.
• Of the destruction of Goss, Broom, Brakes, &c. and how to Improve ordinary Lands by planting fruit; And shewes how to preserve Corn from blasting, and from Crowes and Vermine, and gives a Description of the Water Persian Wheel. 124.
• The excellentest way to destroy Broom, Gose, Ling, and Bracking. 125.
• ...

• ...
  • An unfailing way to destroy any filth. ibid.
  • How to reap two harvests, pag. 127.
  • An unfailing way to preserve Corn from Blast∣ing. 128.
  • An unfailing prevention of Crows, Rooks, or Daws, from Corn. 129.

The fifth Peece hath the 21, 22, & 23 Chap. And sheweth a discovery of such simples and Ingredients, to be compounded with the Earth, with the Na∣ture and use of them.

Chap. XX.

• Sheweth how in tillage of thy Land, thou maist im∣prove it best with an Addition of Soyl, or Manure by far, than upon the Turf in Grazing, and in particular treateth of Liming. 132.
• Meanes or Materials to inrich Land. 133.

Chap. XXI.

• Sheweth the nature, use, and benefit of Marl, and giveth a President of the Improvement made by it. 136.
• A double experiment. 138.
• The Prime principle in Husbandry 139.

Chap. XXII.

• Sheweth the usefulness of Sand and other Soyles out of the Sea and Rivers, Sands also are great In∣richments. 141.
• Sea weeds very good soyl for Land. 143.
• Mud in Rivers of great use. 144.

Chap. XXIII.

Sheweth the use and nature of Chalk, Mud of Pools Pidgeons and Swines Dung, and other soyles and

• Manures therein contained. pag. 145.

The sixt Peece contains the 24, and 25, Chap. And is a new erection or plantation of di∣vers sorts of Woods, and Timber, in such a way as shall raise as much in Twenty yeares growth, as usually and naturally groweth in forty or fifty years, &c.

Chap. XXIV.

• Speakes of the nature of the Land, and sheweth the severall sorts of Woods and how to plot out the same to most delight. 154.
• How to cast out thy Wood-plots for pleasure. 155.
• What sorts are best. 157.
• How to plant thy sets. ibid.
• How to make thy Dike, to plant thy sets in. ibid.
• How to plant thy Quieksets and would them up. ibid.

Chap. XXV.

• Answereth severall objections against this projecti∣on, and gives a president for making good the same. 159.
• How to thicken woods that grow too thin. 161.
• Lime-tree water exceeding precious to be used against convulsion fits. 172.

The second part of Englands Improve∣ment, containeth these seve∣rall heads. viz

• 1. By sowing the Trefoyl or Claver, and St. Foyne, and the advantages thereby.
• 2. By facilitating the great charge and burthen of the Plough with the figures of them.
• ...

• 3. The planting of VVeld, VVoad, and Madder; three great dying commodities.
• 4. The planting of Hops Saffron, and Liquorish, and the profits thereof-
• 5. The planting of Rape, Cole-seed, Hemp, and Flax and their Increase.
• 6. The Improvements that may be made by some Or∣chard and Garden fruits.

Chap. XXVI.

The best way of planting the Trefoyl, or great Claver, which is the highest advantage our English lands will produce. 178.

Chap. XXVII.

• Speaks of the usage of S. Foyn. 186.
• The descripoion of S. Foyn. 187.
• The manner of sowing it. 188.

The second generall Peece of improvement contains the discourse of facilitating the charge and burden of the Plough, and a demonstration of the fi∣gures thereof.

Chap XXVIII.

• A descritpion of the plain Share. 193.
• The Coulter how best made. 195.
• The Dutch Coulter. ibid.
• The best way for the tryall of a new plough. 196.
• A good Character of a good Plough-man. 198.

Chap. XXIX.

• The description of the severall Ploughs in use, and the defects in some, and the advantages o••hers have, both from my own observations, and otherwise, to make up a compleat and easie Plough. 199.
• ...

Chap. XXX.

Discovereth some generall faults that may be incident to all sorts of Ploughs, with the description of Dutch and Norfolk Ploughs. 206.

Chap. XXXI.

• Demonstrateth wherein the chief ease of the Plough consists with the easiest going plough, and the ad∣vantages gained thereby. 112.
• The description of the plain plough. ibid.
• The benefit of a broad and short VVrest. 113.

Chap. XXXII.

• Contains the applicatory part of the ploughs use, where∣in ts indeavoured to hold forth to what sort of Land, and to what seasons or tilths of Land, each plough is or may be most serviceable. 116.
• The season for plowing for summer corn. ibid.
• The season for plowing for winter corn. ibid.
• A Plough to cast down Land. 117.
• A Plough to set up land. ibid.

Chap. XXXIII.

Holds forth a description of a double plough carrying two furrows at once; with a plough that shall both plough and harrow at one and the same time; how to make a plough to last many years. 123.

The Third Peece of improvement treats of Weld, Woad, and Madder, thee rich commodities for Dyers.

Chap. XXXIV.

• Describeth Weld, or Woad, as some call it, or more pro∣perly Dyers w••ed. 125.
• The manner of sowing it at no cost. ibid.

Chap. XXXV.

• Treats of Woad, the Land best for it, and Advantages thereby. 127.
• The best Land for Woad. 128.
• What price men will give for good Woad-land. ibid.
• Five or six Crops in one year of Woad. 131.
• The advantage of Woad. 133.

XXXVI.

• Which discovers the nature, use, and advantage of Madder. ibid.
• The description of Madder. 135.
• The season of drawing the sets. ibid.
• Madder formerly granted by Patent. 137.

The fourth Peece of improvement hath re∣spect unto the Plantations of hops, and Liquorish, both in relation to the Mystery thereof, and pro∣fits thereby.

Chap. XXXVII.

• Treates of Hops plantation, and how Land is Impro∣ved thereby. ibid.
• How a hop-yard should stand. 139.
• One of the main things in the Hop-yard is raising the hils. 140.
• The profits may be made of them. 145.

Chap. XXXVIII.

• Treats of the mystery of Saffron, and the way of Plan∣ting it. 148.
• ...

Chaap. XXXIX.

• Treates of the plantation of Liquorish at large. 150.
• The best land for it. ibid.
• How to set your plants. 151.
• The time of planting it. 152.
• The advantage thereof. ibid.

The fifth Peece contains the 40. 41, & 42. Chap. And treateth of the Art of Planting of Rape, Cole-seed, Hemp, and Flax, with the severall advantages that may be made of each.

Chap. XL.

• Containeth onely the discovery of Rape, and Cole-seeds Husbandry. 253.
• The best seed. ibid.
• The time of sowing it. ibid.
• VVhen to cut it. ibid.
• How to use it. ibid.

Chap. XLI.

• Shewes how good a publique commodity hemp is, with the manner of planting. 255.
• How to know the best hemp-seed. 259.
• The time of sowing it. ibid.
• The time of getting it. ibid.
• The best land for hemp. 260.

Chap. XLIII.

• Treateth onely of the husbandring Flax, so as to make it come up to as much of the Improvement as wee can. 261.
• ...

• ...
  • How to raise the best Flax. pag. 263.
  • The best Flaxseed. ibid.
  • The season for sowing it. ibid.
  • The manner of watering it. 264.

The sixt and last Peece containeth 2 Chapters And discovereth what great advantage may be made upon our lands by a plantation of some Orchard Fruits, and some Gar∣den commodities.

Chap. XLII.

Treats how our Lands may be advanced by planting them with Orchard fruits. 265.

Chap. XLIV.

Doth contain a brief discourse of some choice and more generall Garden fruits, intended to have been spo∣en to more largely. 271.

FINIS.