| 'Scoops' were then employed to achieve a slight slope and to clear the channel of stones before the pipes could be laid. (Originally, 'bush drains', filled with densely packed hawthorn, were the norm.)
In marshy areas, wind pumps were used to raise water. The pump looking so like a mill, was used to drain the Minsmere Level, near Leiston. It looks similar to a Smock mill, with its 8-sided, wooden tower. (Tower mills had brick towers, while Post mills were made of wood, and the grinding mechanism, as well as the sails, turned to face the wind. See also the Village Crafts section of Made in Suffolk.)
Light, sandy soils could be improved by the addition of clayey 'marl' from elsewhere on the farm. One can still see old marl pits near many Suffolk roads, often occupied now by thickets of trees.
The soil had to be kept fertile as well as free of lying water. Several Suffolk companies were formed to supply farmers with a variety of substances for this purpose, when the use of the farm's own animal manure proved insufficient.
The Packard poster refers to Peruvian guano (compacted bird droppings) as well as crushed bones and 'superphosphates', which were produced by mixing sulphuric acid with ground-up material that was rich in lime.
A notable source of lime found locally was coprolite. This is fossilised dung, a seam of which was found in the south east of the county. (See the Competition section of Made in Suffolk for more about this.)
Getting the manure into place in the fields was one of the heaviest jobs on the farm, and, like draining, it was a task for winter days. Tumbrils - tilting carts - would be used. If the workers were lucky the farmer would have a Scotch cart available. This was a tumbril that could be tilted just a little, so that the dumping could be controlled. |
