by him to
water-meadows and swamps, and as applicable to the drainage of all other
moist lands.

We give from the 7th volume of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural
Society, in the language of that eminent advocate of deep-drainage,
Josiah Parkes, an account of this rare book, and of the principles which
it advocates, as a fitting introduction to the more modern and more
perfect system of thorough drainage:

"The author of this work was a Captain Walter Bligh, signing
himself, 'A Lover of Ingenuity.' It is quaintly entitled, 'The
English Improver Improved; or, the Survey of Husbandry Surveyed;'
with several prefaces, but specially addressed to 'The Right
Honorable the Lord General Cromwell, and the Right Honorable the
Lord President, and the rest of the Honorable Society of the
Council of State.' In his instructions for forming the flooding and
draining trenches of water-meadows, the author says of the
latter:--'And for thy drayning-trench, it must be made so deep,
that it goe to the bottom of the cold spewing moyst water, that
feeds the flagg and the rush; for the widenesse of it, use thine
own liberty, but be sure to make it so wide as thou mayest goe to
the bottom of it, which must be so low as any moysture lyeth, which
moysture usually lyeth under the over and second swarth of the
earth, in some gravel or sand, or else, where some greater stones
are mixt with clay, under which thou must goe half one spade's
graft deep at least. Yea, suppose this corruption that feeds and
nourisheth the rush or flagg, should lie a yard or four-foot deepe;
to the bottom of it thou must goe, if ever thou wilt drayn it to
purpose, or make the utmost advantage of either floating or
drayning, without which the water cannot have its kindly operation;
for though the water fatten naturally, yet still this coldnesse and
moysture lies gnawing within, and not being taken clean away, it
eates out what the water fattens; and so the goodnesse of the water
is, as it were, riddled, screened, and strained out into the land,
leaving the richnesse and the leanesse sliding away from it.' In
another place, he replies to the objectors of floating, that it
will breed the rush, the flagg, and mare-blab; 'only make thy
drayning-trenches deep enough, and not too far off thy floating
course, and I'le warrant i