AND PROTECTION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND. 51 



wheat ; and perhaps of all districts of England the largest and 

 best crops may be found on Sunk Island, for the tenants admit 

 that the land produced upwards of six imperial quarters of wheat 

 per acre. Flax also is produced of a fine and valuable quality, 

 and in large quantities. The producing power of this description 

 of land is not limited to the growth of cereals or fibrous products, 

 but the finest roots, such as potatoes, turnips, mangold wurzel, 

 &c., are successfully cultivated. The climate is mild through 

 the winter, but it is hot in summer. The rainfall averages 18 

 inches per annum, and the harvest is frequently from one to two 

 weeks earlier than in the surrounding country." Mr Oldham states 

 the cost of the reclamation of these lands as varying from L.5 to 

 L.20 an acre. 



The RilUe. 



It would be difficult to find a case presenting more favourable 

 features for easy and profitable reclamation, on a reasonable 

 extent, than the Eibble, in Lancashire. 



The Eibble Navigation Company in 1838 obtained an Act 

 for the improvement of the river, under the advice of Messrs 

 Stevenson, by whom the works were afterwards executed. 



The only portion of these works to which it is necessary at 

 present to refer is the guiding of -the river by low rubble 

 training walls, which confined the navigable channel to a fixed 

 course, and, at the same time, allowed the tidal water to flow 

 freely over the banks on either side of the estuary, as will be 

 understood by referring to figure 7, at page 28. The anticipated 

 effect of this was to encourage the deposit of rich alluvial matters 

 on either side of the estuary, and as this deposit would no longer 

 be subject to encroachments by the river, it was expected that 



