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Heads of Enquiries, to be distributed to persons Experienced in Husbandry all over England, Scotland, and Ireland, for the procuring a faithful and solid information of the knowledg and practice already obtained and used in these Kingdoms; whereby, besides the aid which by this means will be given to the general End of collecting the aforementioned History, every place will be advantaged by the helps, that are found in any, and occasion ministred to consider, what improvements may be further made in this whole matter. Now to the End, that those Enquiries may be the more universally known, and those who are skilful in Husbandry, publicly invited to impart their knowledg herein, for the common benefit of their Countrey, it hath been thought fit to publish the effect of them in Print, and withall to desire, that what such persons shall think good from their own Knowledg and Experience to communicate hereupon, they would be pleased to send it to the Printers of the Royal-Society, to be delivered to either of the Secretaries of the same. The Enquiries follow.
1. For Arable.
1. The several kinds of the soyls of England, being supposed to be, either Sandy, Gravelly, Stony, Clayie, Chalky, Light-mould, Heathy, Marish, Boggy, Fenny, or Cold weeping Ground; information is desired, what kind of soyls your Country doth most abound with, and how each of them is prepared, when employed for Arable?
2. What peculiar preparations are made use of to these Soyls for each kind of Grain; with what kind of Manure they are prepared, when, how, & in what quantity the Manure is laid on?
3. At what seasons and how often they are ploughed; what kind of Ploughs are used for several sorts of Ground?
4. How long the several Grounds are let ly fallow?
5. How, and for what productions, Heathy Grounds may be improved? And who they are (if there be any in your Country) that have reduced Heaths into profitable Lands?
6. What ground Marle hath over head? How deep generally it lieth from the surface? What is the depth of the Marle it self? What the colour of it? Upon what grounds it is used?
