106 
The Farming of Cheshire. 
some grass-land very badly managed. The land naturally poor and wet, 
the butts small and flat, the reins sufficiently deep to form reservoirs for 
supplying the rushes with water, but not deep enough to act as drains to 
the land. Arrived at Stockton Lodge in the afternoon, and visited the 
town of Warrington in the evening. The next morning passed through 
Stretton to Great Budworth, saw a great deal of bad farming, and some 
little good. Draining on the increase in that neighbourhood, especially on 
the estate of Rowland Warburton, Esq., who allows his tenants the tiles — 
a great quantity of hedge-row timber, which is much neglected, on an 
estate between the two last-named places, belonging to a non-resident 
gentleman. On returning to Stockton from Budworth, along the lower 
road, between Belmont and Marbury, passed a number of small freeholds : 
an indication here of some improvement by draining ; but in many in- 
stances great neglect of the timber, and much loss of land in old pits, 
hedge-rows, &c. 
The next day went to Lachford and Grappenhall, and along the Duke of 
Bridgewater's Canal. The course of cropping pursued in this district has 
been previously described. From Grappenhall to Stretton, and thence 
through Preston by Whitley. Noticed a great deal of poor land, which 
might be much improved by draining and bone-manure : passed through 
Frodsham, and thence to Chester. 
Started again from the south side of the Hundred of Eddisbury, crossed 
into the Hundred of Broxton at Stapleford Bridge, near which, on an 
estate belonging to the Marquis of Westminster, there are some good 
specimens of draining ; the butts, consisting of a strong clay-soil, are high, 
and vary in width from 4 to 10 yards : the drains are cut along every rein 
to the depth of 20 inches, and are laid with tiles. (The other particulars 
are fully described under the head of " Drainage.") From thence to 
Saighton, Bureton, and Aldford. At Bureton noticed on a large farm 
belonging to Sir W. Stanley, and in the occupation of Mr. Thos. Weaver, 
a field of 40 acres, about one half of which was in progress of draining. 
This field was one of the stifFest clajs I had seen, the butts, varying in 
width from 5 to 14 yards, were drained with tiles down every rein, to the 
depth of about 20 inches. The tiles are made upon the estate, at the ex- 
pense of the landlord, and allowed to the tenant, who pays for the cutting 
of the drains, filling up, &c. Previously to cutting the drains, a thin 
furrow is removed from the top by a plough, and afterwards placed upon 
the tiles. The good soil in this field is remarkably thin. From Aldford I 
proceeded to Farndon, where I crossed the Dee into Denbighshire. The 
farming on that side is exceedingly bad for three or four miles, and the 
farm buildings are much out of repair. Re-crossed the river at Bangor 
Bridge, and proceeded to Worthenbury, where, on the following day, I 
saw some good specimens of farming in the neighbourhood : the wheat 
stubbles were decidedly the best I had seen. They drain here by throw- 
ing out two furrows with a plough, right and lelt, then the remainder of 
the soil is thrown out with a spade to the depth of about 15 inches, when 
an instrument 2 inches wide is used to cut a narrow drain about 5 inches 
deep, leaving a shouldering or ledge, on which are put sods or stubble, and 
the drain filled up ; but previously a long narrow scoop is used for clear- 
ing out the soil which may have fallen in. The coui-se of cropping here 
has been described. From Worthenbury went to Cuddington, in the parish 
of Malpas : here they have a practice, novel in this county, that of burning 
marl as a manure for their turnip crops. The plan is to build a wall of 
sods of the size required, then lay in a quantity of wood, then a layer of 
marl, then a layer of coal and marl alternately, the fire constantly burning 
till the work is finished. The heap may be raised as high as men can con- 
veniently throw the marl. The turinps were a good crop grown with this 
