On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
709 
Not  far  from  Mr.  Galton’s  field  is  some  land  treated  on  the 
other  plan,  which  is  less  costly,  and  in  some  respects  makes  a 
better  return.  After  the  turf-cutters  have  hollowed  out  a basin, 
which  by  their  lease  they  ought  to  leave  level  (though  this  part 
of  their  contract  is  wont  to  be  roughly  performed),  the  landlord 
has  usually  to  relay  the  surface  by  throwing  it  into  bends,  with  a 
gutter  between  each.  The  first  Hood  is  then  lei;  in  upon  the  land 
so  prepared,  and  as  soon  as  a thin  layer  of  silt  is  deposited,  the 
natural  grasses  spring  up,  and  go  on  improving  with  every  sub- 
sequent flood.  Land  so  treated  frequently  becomes  worth  40s. 
and  even  50s.  per  annum  in  a few  years : this  is  certainly  the 
cheapest,  method,  and  land  so  reclaimed  is  of  the  best  quality.  It 
will  be  borne  in  mind  also  that  a considerable  sum  will  have  been 
received  for  the  turf  before  the  improvement  begins. 
Some  acres  of  this  Turbary  Moor,  immediately  under  Polden 
Hill,  have  been  brought  into  arable  cultivation.  On  Mr.  Warry’s 
property  near  Shapwick  there  were  this  autumn  some  fine  turnips 
and  magnificent  rape,  in  which  the  sheep  were  quite  out  of  sight. 
Mr.  Strangways  has  also  made  great  improvements  in  the  same 
neighbourhood.  The  clay  of  the  adjoining  hills  might  easily  be 
laid  on  this  land  by  means  of  a portable  railway  ; but  the  lias  clay 
is  of  a very  doubtful  character.  It  is  feared  that  it  might  scour 
cattle  if  the  land  were  converted  into  pasture.  There  is  good  red 
marl  in  Polden  Hill,  but  I fear  it  is  only  on  the  opposite  side. 
On  the  south  side  of  Polden  Hill  lies  King’s  Sedgemoor,  a loose, 
friable  peat,  which  is  for  the  most  part  under  cultivation ; and 
very  bad  that  cultivation  is.  In  the  first  place,  nothing  can  be 
worse  than  the  arrangement  of  the  farms.  An  allotment  in 
King  s Sedgemoor  is  joined  to  a farmhouse  perhaps  three  miles 
off  on  the  other  side  of  a precipitous  hill  ; and  even  where  this  is 
not  the  case,  the  fields  belonging  to  different  farms  are  intermixed 
in  the  most  inconvenient  manner.  Lord  llchester  has  lately  built 
a convenient  little  homestead  well  situated  on  the  borders  of  the 
hill  and  the  moor ; and  it  is  to  be  hoped  this  is  the  beginning  of 
an  extensive  improvement. 
The  present  system  of  management  of  the  moor  consists  of 
breast-ploughing  and  burning  the  surface,  at  a cost  of  about 
11s.  6 d.  per  acre,  and  cropping  the  land  with  wheat,  oats,  and 
potatoes,  or  beans,  till  it  is  so  foul  that  it  will  bear  no  more,  the 
crops  being  all  drawn  over  the  hills.  The  land  is  then  sown  with 
clover,  which  may  be  fed  off,  but  is  more  probably  mown,  the  hay 
going  the  same  tedious  road.  For  the  first  year  or  two  the  land 
will  produce  very  large  crops,  up  to  40  or  45  bushels  of  wheat 
and  to  80  bushels  of  oats  per  acre,  but  they  are  not  of  good 
quality.  The  quantity  is  very  uncertain,  and  liable  to  great  injury 
from  wet  seasons  and  floods. 
