Farming of Lincohisldre. 



323 



about two-fifths of the whole district, occupy the central parts, and 

 (with an interruption of low land between Crowle and Bel ton) 

 stretch in swellino- hills between Crowle and Haxev, dividino;' 

 the low land into two portions, the lowest of which is on the 

 western side. The general drainage of the flat is westward from 

 the Trent Bank to the Follv Drain, New Idle Drain and others, 

 which traverse the lower grounds, and then empty into the Trent 

 at and near Althorpe. The northern part has main drains 

 emptying into the same river. In consequence of the slope of 

 the surface away from its outfall, the natural rivers (as in the 

 southern Fens) had to pursue a circuitous course in order to 

 discharge, as may be seen by the remaining channel of the old 

 Don, and Vermuyden began his work by cutting straight drains 

 to conduct their waters ; but he fell into a great error, — that 

 of conducting the drainage-water to the wrong outfall. Pro- 

 bably from omitting to take levels of the country, he chose Snow 

 sewer and Althorpe sewer for his chief outfalls ; but as these 

 outlets are many miles above Trent-fall, and as the river has a 

 fall of 6 inches per mile nearly all the way down, a considerable 

 fall, — enough to make a complete instead of a bad drainage, — 

 was lost. If he had taken his principal drain to the broader 

 river Ouse there -would have been 5 or 6 feet better fall^ 

 because the fall from the outlet sluice to the Humber would 

 have been £o much less ; and there would have been a natural 

 drainage for the western and southern low grounds which have 

 been forced by this unfortunate blunder to adopt an artificial 

 drainage. 



The lower part of the Isle of Axholme, adjoining the lower 

 levels in Yorkshire, previous to the introduction of steam-engines, 

 was principally drained by small scoop- wheels worked by horse 

 power. Almost every farm possessed one of these machines ; 

 but the drainage was very imperfect, and was attended with a 

 great waste of horse-flesh. In moderate rains the farmers were 

 able, by these means, to keep the land tolerably clear of water ; 

 but if the rains were of any long continuance horse power proved 

 ineffectual, and the lowlands were frequently inundated for a 

 considerable time. Wmdmills, which formed the first means of 

 artificial draining vmiversally employed in the great Bedford 

 Level and the fens of South Lincolnshire, have never been 

 used for that purpose in this district, probably owing to the 

 preference of the occupiers for a system entailing great expense 

 and inconvenience rather than for a method which, though com- 

 paratively cheap, is often entirely useless during the wettest and 

 most urgent seasons. Within the last twenty years the steam- 

 engine has been introduced : during the last three or four vears 



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