68 
Farming of Cambridgeshire. 
or bears' muck, as it is called in the district. This turf consists 
of the congeries of the roots and fibres of a great number of dif- 
ferent species of plants. It is found varying in depths from 2 to 
7 or 10 feet ; it rests upon the Oxford or fen clay, which is 
almost without a stone in it, and is of a very soft nature, cutting 
out like butter by the men employed in claying. All the high 
lands of this district consist of diluvial deposits of sand, gravel 
and clay, either separate or mixed. At Haddenham and Water- 
beach the lower green sand crops out. A portion of the len 
district, abutting on the dry sandy soils of Norfolk and Suffolk, 
consists of a light, sandy, porous fen mould ; and is, in my opi- 
nion, of less value than any other portion of the fen. I felt a 
great pride and satisfaction in riding over this district to see what 
the persevering spirit of British enterprise will undertake and 
successfully carry into execution ; to know that two hundred years 
ago this large tract of rich country was deluged with water and 
valueless to the country, but now, by the judicious application of 
skill and capital, is rendered the most productive and most 
valuable land in this county. Grain crops succeed each other in 
succession for years, if kept clean, and this at comparatively little 
expense. The high lands surrounding this district where the 
diluvial deposit is of clay, are well hollow drained, which many 
years ago was done with turf ; but they are now executing their 
hollow draining in a more effectual manner by the use of drain- 
tiles. Between Ely and Littleport is a fine tract of high land 
belonging to Mr. Layton, and in his own occupation, which is 
well farmed : he has a portion of fen land belonging to this 
estate, on which he has lately erected a steam-engine at his own 
expense, which completely drains his fen land. At the foot of 
this skirt or high land is a large drain called the Catch-Water 
Drain, which conducts the waters running off his high land into 
the river, so as to prevent its running off his high land in time of 
floods into the fen land below. This considerably facilitates the 
operations of the steam-engine, as it greatly lessens the quantity 
of water for it to throw. He has a very fine brick and tile kiln 
on his estate, adjoining the turnpike-road from Ely to Wisbeach, 
close to which passes a navigable canal. He has made some most 
excellent drain-tiles with soles, and some pipes with a foot or flat 
bottom attached, to act as a sole for them to rest on. Mr. Layton 
uses these tiles for draining his heavy clays on his high lands. 
Near Ely is Grunty Fen, consisting of 1280 acres lying in the 
seven parishes of Ely, Witchford, Wentworth, Haddenham, Wil- 
burton, Streatham, and Thetford, into which fen the several in- 
habitants of each village turn cattle or sheep, without any re- 
striction or limit as to numbers. This fen would make most 
excellent arable land ; but the difhculty appears to mc iusur- 
