74 THE FENLAND 



the introduction of mechanical haulage does not seem 

 to have affected the market for draught horses of high 

 class, from which we can only conclude that the ex- 

 pansion of industry has been sufficient to absorb the 

 motor-wagon as a mere addition to the older means 

 of traction. 



Beyond Chatteris we called at a Fen farm, about 

 400 acres in extent, all on black soil, though some of 

 it was modified by a considerable admixture of silt. 

 The black soil proper is highly carbonaceous, so much 

 so that it will burn, and has on occasion been set on 

 fire and smouldered for weeks. The clay is, however, 

 not far below, and the black soil has been getting 

 notably thinner within the memory of the present 

 occupier ; on some of his " grounds," as the fields 

 are here called, he ploughs deeply and brings up a 

 little clay, trusting in this way to establish a deep, 

 mellow soil before the initial stock of organic matter 

 is wholly exhausted. It should be noted that the 

 black peat of the Fens is never acid like that of a 

 moor or peat bog ; it is neutral humate of lime and 

 may even contain carbonate of lime indeed, through- 

 out this country the staple manure is the acid super- 

 phosphate. Nitrogenous manures are not needed, even 

 dung is of little value, and though potash seems to 

 be desirable, no evidence could be found of benefits 

 following its application. The cropping on the black 

 soil was a simple rotation of wheat, oats, potatoes ; on 

 the more silty soil barley followed the wheat, and 

 mangolds were often substituted for the potatoes. Nearly 

 everything was sold away, even the straw and the 

 mangolds, there being a railway station convenient ; 

 but the greater part of the oats were consumed by 

 the horses. Some sheep were kept to run over 

 the stubbles and to eat off occasional catch-crops of 



