Farming of Lincolnsliire. 



301 



" cleanse out, widen, deepen, and embank the river," wiiich 

 labour was completed in 1788 ; the sum of 60,450/. having been 

 expended in carrying the provisions of the Act into execution. 

 This expense was levied by rates and taxes on the lands draining 

 by the river, and by tolls and duties on the navigation. The 

 Witham Act made provision for the drainage of 100,000 acres, 

 which it divided into six "districts;" but several of the works 

 contemplated by the Act were never executed. The fens between 

 Holland Fen and Helpringham (formerly the Sixth district) 

 found themselves under the necessity of finding another outfall 

 than the Syke and the Langrick Gout ; and an Act was there- 

 fore obtained in 1765, when the South Forty-foot was cut, the 

 Black Sluice" erected at its outfall, and several old drains im- 

 proved. The Forty-foot is upwards of 21 miles in length, inter- 

 sectino: at ri2:ht an2:les all the eaus and lodes that descend from 

 the great breadth of high land on the west ; and as the fens 

 through which it passes are very low, it may be easily conceived 

 that the drainage of the southern parts is very defective. The 

 district most remote from the outfall is Bourn Fen, containing 

 (with Dyke Fen) about 4600 acres. The land was formerly ex- 

 tremely wet, and occasionally flooded by breaches of the Glen 

 bank, which generally ruined the crops on the low lands whenever 

 they occurred. The head of water in the Forty-foot being too 

 high in rainy seasons for the drainage of this fen, recourse was 

 had to the horse- wheel to raise the drain water. In 1841, after a 

 protracted struggle with the Black Sluice Commissioners, an Act 

 of Parliament was obtained " for the better drainage of Bourn 

 and Dyke fens;" and a steam-engine of 30-horse power was at 

 once erected, to lift the water into the Forty-foot. The drainage 

 has been very greatly improved, but more important benefits are 

 approaching. In 1846 an Act was passed for improving the 

 Black Sluice drainage, and this fen, after having established a 

 steam drainage at an immense ouday, will shortly discharge its 

 waters by their natural descent to the sea. The engine, however, 

 may still be of service in maintaining a low level of water in the 

 ditches, especially as the light peat soil is found to sink so rapidly 

 when well drained and cultivated. Northward of this fen are 

 Morton, Haconby, Dunsby, &c. fens, up to Flale Fen (being the 

 low^grounds of fourteen different towns on the hills), which drain 

 directly into the South Forty-foot; and on the east side of the 

 drain are Pinchbeck North Fen, Gosberton, Surfleet, &c. fens, 

 up to Bicker Fen and Swineshead (being the low grounds of eight 

 Holland towns), emptying into the same canal. There are many 

 windmills in these districts to assist the drainage of the lower 

 lands, and consequently much of their surface is liable to be 

 inundated during wet seasons, when (as usually happens) there is 



