56 ENCLOSING, FENCES, GATES. 
enclosure the cattle and sheep were infamous; they are 
now of the best quality. 
il The mixture of property in our fields prevents the 
land being drained, and one negligent farmer, from 
not opening his drains, may injure the lands of ten 
who lye above, to the very great loss of his neighbours 
and the community; add to this, that although our lands 
are well adapted to sheep, yet, for want of good drain¬ 
ing, out of one thousand pastured in our open fields, 
not more than forty, on an average, are annually drawn 
out for slaughter; rot, scab, &c. sweep them off, 
which would not be the case if the land was drained, 
which is the principal and first good effect from enclo¬ 
sures. In our unenclosed hamlets the meadow and 
pasture are fairly proportioned to the arable, which 
latter is by computation 1600 
Pasture -- 1300 
Meadows on Avon 800 
3700 acres. 
i6 There are besides 500 acres of commonable lands 
which are of little or no use, being over-stocked pro¬ 
duce a beggarly breed of sheep, of little use to the 
owner, for being constantly brought off the high lands 
in autumn, to pasture and feed on the land subject to 
floods, they there receive their bane, and that produce 
is prevented which might assist population and com¬ 
merce.” 
Upon the whole, I think it pretty clear, that the en¬ 
closure of rich common fields tends to lessen the pro¬ 
duce of grain, and to diminish the agricultural popu¬ 
lation ; at the same time it gives an opening for im» 
proving, and greatly increasing the value of the land ; 
improving 
