116 



Lincohisliire Fens. 



readily constructed, or removed to another site and rebuilt ; a 

 commodious round hovel is erected for the mill, and the drying- 

 sheds are generally built in a quadrangular shape, consisting of a 

 light framework of fir-deals supported by stays or props, and a 

 roof of light weather boarding. Tiers of fleaks," a kind of 

 w^attled hurdles, are laid across the woodwork, upon which the 

 woad is dried. The usual time for sowing the seed is about the 

 beginning of April ; the land is prepared by good ploughing, &c., 

 until a fine mould is obtained, the seed is then drilled, lightly 

 harrowed in, and the field all raked over by hand, every grass sod 

 or other refuse being carefully taken off. When about 4 inches 

 high it is cleaned by hoeing and hand-weeding, and when 8 

 inches high it is ready for plucking. This is done by a number 

 of men, women, boys, and girls, upon their knees, each having a 

 4-bushel basket to receive the woad as it is pulled, the payment 

 being according to the number of these baskets filled. Large 

 carts are generally in attendance to take the woad to the mill, 

 where it is crushed into a pulp by the rolling over it of large 

 wooden wheels, having teeth about 4 inches apart, shod with iron. 

 It is then laid in a heap for some time to " heat " a little, and 

 afterwards made into balls about the size of a 34 lb. shot, placed 

 in the sheds to dry, and finally, packed in large hogsheads for 

 market. 



Lying between this tract and the fen is the usual breadth of 

 highland fen, consisting chiefly of clay and clayey loam ; and in 

 the township of Long Sutton, extending to St. James's and St. 

 Edmund's, much valuable land is found, the arable in excellent 

 cultivation, producing mustard, coleseed, corn, and pulse, and 

 the grazing ground of first rate quality. The parishes of 

 Whaplode, Moulton, and Weston have the same kind of alluvial 

 loam already alluded to, part of the marsh adjoining the Welland 

 being a light silty loam, though there are some exceedingly good 

 grazing grounds. The pastures in all the marshes, from their 

 proximity to the silt, cause looseness and scouring in cattle, 

 whilst the southern parts of all these parishes, being on clay, are 

 healthy and very nutritive. This bad property of the herbage on 

 the marsh lands may perhaps be owing to the soak, which pervades 

 almost all the districts of the Lincolnshire fens having a silt sub- 

 soil. This subterranean water is found at various depths, usually 

 but a very few feet below the surface; it rises and sinks accord- 

 ing to the season, and is supposed, from its saline quality, to be 

 the sea-water filtered through a stratum of silt. 



At the southern extremity of Moulton parish is the district of 

 Portsand, containing some high land, with pastures of first rate 

 quality. This is now united with the North Level drainage. 

 The mouth of the river Welland (which is the northern boun- 



