ENCLOSING. 135 



in so many other cases ; and it is to be regretted, that 

 some compensation is not in all such cases provided by 

 the a6l. There cannot be a doubt, that the immense sys- 

 tem of labour created, is worth far more than such prac- 

 tices; still many individuals are injured, and witliout any 

 absolute necessity for being so. 



Mr. CoE, of Islington, is one of the greatest undertakers 

 in the cultivation of this Fen: he has 400 acres of it, and 

 has already cultivated the whole of that traft. His method 

 has been to pare and burn, at 30s. an acre for some ; but 

 paid too much; now 21s. an acre paring, and 6s. burning. 

 But after this operation he found it too soft and rotten to 

 go on with horses ; he therefore breast-ploughed, and 

 sowed cole seed ; the crop very great, but killed by the 

 frost : he then breast-ploughed again, and sowed oats ; 

 both these ploughings at 2 is. an acre : the crop from 15 

 to 18 combs an acre : he intends on 40 acres of this 

 stubble to sow rye-grass to feed, that the land may be 

 trodden, and consolidated : on the rest he will plough, and 

 sow oats : some intend wheat, at Candlemas : he this year 

 sowed 12 acres at that time, and got 9 or 10 coombs aa 

 acre. 



I viewed a fine piece of cole in the Fen belonging to 

 Mr. J. Thisleton, which had been gained without 

 burning, by tillage ; but examining the surface, I found it 

 in so loose and puffy a state, ?nd so like bears' muck, that 

 if it be not very severely trodden, it will yield bad corn: 

 another piece near it, after burning, more solid. 



Crossinj, by the six-and-twentv foot road, a bridge now 

 building, I came to a piece which had been broken up by 

 the Rev. Mr. Ashmole, by paring and burning, and 

 sown to mustard: this failed; it wai tlien tilled, and sov/n 

 again; but again failed; and presented only a fun o\v of 

 .gears' muck ; but examining the bottom, found a much 



more 



