COMMONS 59 



mouth " it was 13 to 15 inches long 4 inches broad at the top and 

 2 inches at the bottom and sharpened at both sides — to cut a sod in 

 the bottom of the trench leaving a shoulder of about i J inches on either 

 side, on which the sods are placed carefully back again. Rats were 

 a great drawback to these drains when they were numerous and some 

 districts, in order to keep them down, let the killing of them and levied 

 a rate to defray the expense. These drains cost 8d. per rood to make, 

 and lasted 5 or 6 years, when not unfrequently, where the moss had 

 become consolidated they were replaced with tile ones. When the 

 land was too soft for a horse to travel upon, pattens had to be fitted 

 to the horse's feet to keep them from sinking— they were fashioned from 

 a circular piece of wood 2J to 3 inches broad made to fit round the 

 horse's hoof and fastened on by an iron clasp at each side, and a flat 

 piece of iron across the bottom of the foot — these are now obsolete 

 and when anything is necessary an old sack is strapped on the horse's 

 feet. 



On land where the peat has been removed and clay or marl was 

 found at a depth of 3 to 5 feet, it was dug out of pits with a wooden 

 tool tipped with iron at the point and sides, it was about 4 inches 

 broad and straight from the top of the handle to the point ; after 

 removing the clay three " draws " down the sides were sloped and 

 the pit filled in with the " fey " or earth from the top of the clay in 

 the next pit ; the marl was applied at the rate of 250 carts to the 

 acre and 300 carts more were spread over the same area 5 or 6 years 

 later. Potatoes were always grown for the first year or two after 

 reclamation, afterwards the rotation of cropping generally followed 

 was : (i) oats ; (2) turnips, mangolds, rape or potatoes ; (3) oats ; (4) 

 seeds (for hay or pasture), and (5) pasture. It was from this kind of 

 land that large quantities of rye grass seeds used to be sold, many 

 hundreds of quarters being sent to all parts of the country — it was 

 first introduced into the county about 1830. 



The cost of reclaiming moss land per acre was : — 



i s. d. 



Draining first time, 8 yards apart at 8d per rood . . . . 217 6 



Paring los., heaping and burning los. (when necessary) . . 100 

 Claying, 250 carts to the acre, at los. per 100 getting, los. 



carting, and 2s. 6d. spreading .. .. .. ..2163 



