Cultivation of Moorland. 393 



and ploughing under of vegetable crops as manure, these lands 

 may be infinitely improved, at a not very large outlay, and chiefly 

 by the tenant. 



The pulverization of soils increases their capillary attraction, 

 and it is evident this attraction must be greatest when the par- 

 ticles of the earth are finely divided, for the sands and gravels 

 hardly retain water at all ; yet pulverization is of great advan- 

 tage in admitting the nightly dews to the roots of plants : it is 

 further necessary to have the land open, and to a good depth, 

 that there may be free ingress for the air and tepid rains of 

 spring. 



When the roots of plants are deep they are less liable to be 

 injured by excessive drought, and the space from which tlieir 

 nourishment is derived is more considerable than when they are 

 superficially inserted in the soil. The soil thus deepened and 

 pulverized may be compressed by heavy rolling, but more pro- 

 perly by the application of earthy matters or the treading of 

 sheep. 



As an instance that dry sandy soils can ,be profitably con- 

 verted from tlie waste to culture, I have only to mention the 

 success of the Norfolk farmers upon the Holkham and other 

 estates of that county, as also many districts in Nottingham- 

 shire. 



A parallel case may be quoted in reference to the reclaimino- 

 of the wastes and rabbit-warrens of Lincoln Heath, a soil origin- 

 ally covered with heather and weeds, and in depth scarcely 

 worthy the notice of a passer by. These were brought into 

 cultivation by spirited occupiers and their well-directed capital, 

 under liberal and judicious covenants for their unexhausted 

 improvements, given by their landlords, the late Lord Yar- 

 borough, Mr. Chaplin, and others, and but fur which the warren 

 miglit have been a warren still. 



The Fens {moorlands) of Lincolnshire, apart from the spirited 

 outlay in their drainage, have been much improved, as liave also 

 the fen peaty lands of Cambridge, lliinting(h)ii, &c., by means of 

 " claying." 



This clai/iiir/ operation is carried on with great success, and 

 when first discovered and adopted was " a great move in the right 

 direction." The operation may be shortly described as follows : — 

 Perpendicular pits (in line) are sunk at a distance of sav 14 to 

 15 y'^rds apart between the rows, and on reaching tlic clav 

 (which varies in depth from 3 to (') or 10 feet), the workman 

 "casts out" some 2 to 4 draws in length, part on each side of 

 him, and in sinking the succeeding pit tlie upper black earth is 

 thrown into the last one to fill it up, and so on ; the object in 

 sinkinir pits for this purpose is to prevent t!ie sides of an <)i)en 



