180  Mode  of  repairing  the  Banks  of  Tidal  Rivers. 
from  high-water  mark  to  low-water  mark  ; but  this,  of  course, 
varies  greatly.  The  old  system  of  piles  and  stones,  in  addition 
to  thorns,  was  infinitely  more  expensive  and  less  effective ; and, 
at  the  same  time,  the  piles  were  seldom  of  sufficient  length  to  be 
of  any  service  as  a support  to  the  bank,  whilst  they  exposed  the 
landowner  to  the  risk  of  an  action  being  brought  against  him  for 
the  injury  which  they  frequently  did  to  the  shipping. 
I have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 
Your  obedient  servant, 
G.  S.  Poole. 
Bridgewater,  December  5,  1848. 
X. — On  Dry  Warping  at  Hatfield  Chase.  By  Wm.  Edwards. 
The  interest  which  attaches  to  the  improvements  of  peat  moors, 
and  the  peculiar  importance  of  the  process  I am  about  to  describe, 
induces  me  to  lay  before  the  Society  a more  full  description  of  it 
than  the  incidental  mention  made  of  it  by  Mr.  Pusey,  in  his 
paper  on  Lincolnshire  Farming. — 1 allude  to  the  improvements  of 
Hatfield  Chase,  in  Yorkshire,  by  what  may,  not  inaptly,  be  called 
“ dry  warping.” 
The  ordinary  process  of  “ warping,”  as  practised  on  the  banks 
of  our  tidal  rivers,  is  well  known.  It  is  only  applicable  to  situa- 
tions where  the  muddy  water  can  be  turned  on  the  land,  and  rea- 
dily drained  off  after  it  has  deposited  its  alluvial  matter. 
“ Dry-warping  ” is  the  spreading  over  land  that  deposit  or 
other  soil,  to  a depth  of  6,  8,  or  9 inches,  and  thus  converting 
barren  or  inferior  into  fertile  land,  ready  for  immediate  cropping. 
It  is  obvious  that,  to  do  this  economically,  a considerable  supply 
of  the  intended  covering  must  be  at  hand ; and  though,  perhaps, 
few  estates  in  England  may  possess  the  peculiar  advantages  in 
this  respect  of  Hatfield  Chase,  there  are  very  numerous  situa- 
tions where  the  process  may  be  advantageously  adopted  ; and  in 
Ireland  it  may  be  applied  on  a great  scale,  under  conditions  in 
every  respect  as  good  as  at  Hatfield.  Hence  the  importance  of 
drawing  the  attention  of  agriculturists  in  this  country,  and  of  the 
landholders  of  Ireland,  to  a system,  which  Mr.  Pusey  very  truly 
describes  as  converting  “ the  bog  of  Allan  into  the  vale  of  Ayles- 
bury or  of  White  Horse.” 
Hatfield  Chase  is  a peat  moor  of  about  4000  acres,  lying  above 
the  level  of  the  neighbouring  corn-lands.  An  Act  for  enclosing 
the  moor  was  obtained  about  forty  years  ago,  though  for  what  ob- 
ject, at  the  time,  it  is  not  easy  to  see,  as  no  one  could  have  then 
anticipated  the  possibility  of  making  the  hitherto  impassable  mo- 
