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 ...

To the Husbandman, Farmer, or Tenant.

TO you of all others I might spare thit paines, you the very practitioners, you that trade in Husbandry, of some of you I have high things to report, both for your industry and activity; and though I am confident all men are thirsty enough after profit and increase, yet few studiously industrious in this design; though some esteem it matter of greatest moment, yet you will not all be found patronizers hereof; there is such a scandall and prejudice among many of you against new projections, that I shall beseech you to take a loving ad∣monition in two or three particulars, The first is an Epidemicall disease (and little less are the succeeding) and it is a great mischief to your selves and the Common-wealth, and that is such an immoderate plowing your land; some plow far more than they can Til or Ma∣nure, and others all they have in common, though never so much, others plowing so oft and low, that they draw out the marrow of it, and these are the great Improverishers of your gallant old pasture, though fit enough to plow, & might be best advanced thereby with mode∣ration; but into both these extremes men are so apt to run so fast, that I desire to stop their course a little, and shall make bold to tell them, that when half or one third part of so much land as many of you Till, shall with that very soyl, and half the labour and seed saved, yeeld you as much corn as all that great quantity scramblingly husbanded, that then you are ill husbands; which you wil confess if that you wil but grant me that which no man wil deny, that one Acre purely husbandryed (and what need any be otherwise, or any break up more than he is able well to compass) will be as good as two or three in many mens ordinary pra∣ctise, but in some of your whole-sale husbandmen that plow all before them, four or five A∣cres will not ballance one purely husbanded, then judge so much land preserved from impoverishment, so much seed and cost preserved, and yet as great increase, whe∣ther the opposite actors be not enemies to themselves, families and Common-wealth. The second abuse is want of good tillage, wee lose our hopes excedingly by this; and herein we must both have respect to season, land, and corn; for good seasons at all times cannot be expected, yet of two evills chuse the least. I am confident better sometimes lose the land, than land, seed, and all your labour, as many do that outslip the season: but for prevention, begin earlier; I am confident though it may admit of some inconveniencies some∣times, yet at other times it is out of question, but generally both Summer and Winter seed-time carries it away, sure it hath these advantages, that if it prosper not, you may sow it a∣gain, or if the latter part of seed time at Michaelmas time prove wet, you are well, ha∣ving sowed before, or the latter part of seed-time in the Spring prove dry, as most oft it doth, you have prevented that, and what is the great danger of growing proud in Winter, that is to mee a vertue, and if in the Spring, it is easily taken down also; and if thou fearest weeds, I am of opinion that the stronger and thicker any corn is, it preserves it self the best from weeds; but there is a Medium in all things, too thick sowing may be as bad, but this ever observe, that the earlier thou sowest, the thinner thou maiest sow thy winter corn, and summer too, if the season be good, and land dry and sound: And secondly, to your land you must have respect too, Land in good tilth, in good heart and sound, in a good sea∣son, will out-cast its very marrow, through the Lords blessing expect fruit enough: Men much wrong their corn in not giving their Lands sufficient workmanship, I am not pre∣cise

in the number of Plowing nor Harrowing, but just so much and no more than preserves the Land from weedes, and best brings the land into such a composition that your land mould well. I shall not justify the old Proverb, here, No balkes no corn, I say not balkes, all corn, even cleanly plowing is most commendable and most profitable; to some grain more til∣age, to some less is required, yet to none no less than may both cover well and yield good bot∣tome and rooting to the Corn. And thirdly for your Corn, some graines require more tillage, others less; some will better beat a drier season, some a wetter; some grain more subject to one weed than to another, some grain wil do best with two summers, and others with one: In all which consider and advise thy self as much as thou canst of the nature of them all, and make out what experiences thou canst thy self, and somewhat incline to the most ingenu∣ous usage and custome of thy Country. In some cases a good custome is instructive; but I'll be brief here, that I may be a little larger elsewhere following. The fourth and last abuse is a calumniating and depraving every new Invention; of this most culpable are your mouldy old leavened husbandmen, who themselves and their forefathers have been accu∣stomed to such a course of husbandry as they will practise, and no other, their resolution is so fixed, no issues or events whatsoever shall change them, if their neighbour hath as much corn of one Acre as they of two upon the same land, or if another plow the same land for strength and nature, with two horses and one man, as well as he, and have as good corn, as he hath been used with four horse and two men, yet so he will continue: Or if an Improve∣ment be discovered to him and all his neighbours, hee'l oppose it and degrade it; What for∣sooth saith he, who taught you more wit than your forefathers, would they have neglected so great advantage if there had been any? they kept good hospitality, and made shift to breed up many children, &c. and I know not what simple chaff to blind themselves; this proud un∣teachable spirit an ingenious man abhorrs, which banes and poysons the very plenty of our Nation. These prejudices both upon your minds and practises which boult you out from wealth and glory, my dear friends and fellow husbandmen, I pray you lay aside, and doe but in charity walk with me a little through this discourse, and I shall hope to satisfy that there is no other end but common good proposed, The poor, thy posterity, and all Inte∣rest advantage here intended by him that is as studious of thine, the Common wealths Improvement, as his own.

W. B.