98 
Improvement  of  Land  by  Warping. 
banks  of  the  river  require  a longer  period  of  time  than  those 
situated  nearer,  and  vice  versa.  Some  parties  are  in  the  habit  of 
warping  all  the  year  round,  except  when  prevented  by  frost ; the 
best  season  of  the  year,  however,  for  pursuing  this  operation  is 
from  March  to  October.  The  spring-tides  about  the  equinox  are 
generally  considered  to  be  the  best  tides  for  propelling  warp ; 
great  care,  however,  should  be  taken  not  to  admit  any  tides  when 
it  blows  strong,  or  when  the  water  of  the  river  is  much  affected 
by  land-floods  in  very  rainy  weather,  as  in  either  case  considerable 
injury  is  apt  to  be  sustained  by  the  banks,  and  the  muddy  par- 
ticles themselves  do  not  deposit  readily,  on  account  of  the  agitated 
state  of  the  water.  It  is  in  consequence  of  this  and  the  rapid 
flow  of  the  water  that  so  much  damage  is  frequently  done  in  the 
winter  season  to  the  interior  drainage  of  other  lands  in  the  same 
neighbourhood,  which  may  not  be  under  the  process  of  warping 
at  the  time.  To  avoid  this,  certain  parishes  provide,  that  all 
warping  drains  shall  be  closed  from  October  to  March. 
In  fact,  it  is  extremely  necessary  to  keep  warped  land  thoroughly 
drained,  and  it  is  principally  on  this  account  that  peat-moor  soil 
has  been  found  to  be  the  best  natural  soil  to  warp  upon,  as  this 
species  of  land  remains  in  a more  loose  and  porous  state  under 
the  deposit  than  others  do.  Peat-moss,  nevertheless,  is  found  to 
settle  a great  deal  under  the  treatment,  and  the  level  of  land  thus 
warped  is  often  found  to  become  considerably  lower  than  it  was 
before  the  operation.  As  an  instance  of  this,  there  are  certain 
fields  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Goole,  Yorkshire,  which  are  now 
settling  in  this  way,  and  the  proprietor  is  about  to  have  the  pro- 
cess repeated,  in  order  to  raise  the  level  to  its  original  height,  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  up  the  advantage  of  drainage,  &c.  There 
is  no  objection  whatever  to  a great  thickness  of  warp,  provided 
good  drainage  is  maintained. 
Sandy  soil  is  not  so  well  adapted  for  warping  in  these  respects 
as  peat ; the  weight  of  the  deposit  coming  upon  the  sand  com- 
presses it,  so  that  the  drainage  is  not  so  good.  It  is  a well- 
established  fact  that  the  best  crops,  both  as  regards  quality  and 
quantity,  are  grown  upon  peat-moor  soil. 
Land  which  has  been  once  well  warped,  it  is  said,  does  not 
require  to  be  so  treated  a second  time,  as  far  as  experience  has 
proved. 
The  cost  of  so  manuring  a piece  of  land  in  an  efficient  manner 
varies  from  13/.  to  20/.  per  acre,*  including  labour.  This  dif- 
ference, it  need  hardly  be  said,  is  in  a great  measure  caused  by 
the  distance  of  the  field  from  the  river  ; the  length,  breadth,  and 
According  to  Mr.  Creyke  (‘Trans.  Soc.  Arts,’  1825,  vol.  xliii.  p.  6)  it  amounts 
to  21/.  per  acre. 
