384 ^" ^^^ Culti'Viiiion of Mojjes. No\r. 



the Sivtndridgemuir Syjlcm. As this is the only method I know, 

 of bringing any extent of mofs into cultivation, lulthout the hene^ 

 fit of limCf I fhall attempt to give your Correfpondent fuch direc- 

 tions for pra6lifing that mode of culture, as I have learned from 

 obfervation, and from the experience of others. 



When the mofs is very dry in fummer, let fmall fires be 

 kindled in thofe places which are a little elevated ; or u'here, 

 from the furface being broken, the turf has begun to rot. Small 

 patches may by thefe means be burnt, at fuch convenient dif- 

 tances, that the aflies may, for the mofl part, be thrown or fpread 

 over the whole furface, with a fpade or fliovel. After the field 

 has been thus burnt, it may be formed into ridges, and the 

 afhes fpread as the labour advances. 



If the furface of the mofs be fmooth and unbroken, it may not 

 be eafily burnt in the manner above recommended. It muft, 

 therefore, be previoufly formed into ridges with the plough or 

 fpade, leaving a ftripe of fix or eight inches breadth in every fur 

 unturned. Thefe ftripcs muft afterwards be cut in^o very thin 

 ilices, and thrown on the ridges to dry. A proper opportunity 

 muft then be taken, for kindling them in different places of the 

 field, when the fire will fpread over the vi'hole furface, and leave 

 it covered with u fine cruft of afhes. It will readily occur, that 

 the beft time for burning muft be, before the drought has pene- 

 trated to any confiderable depth j for if the furface be covered 

 with aflies to the thicknefs of an inch, or two inches, it is abund- 

 antly fufhcient. When the mofs has been laboured during the 

 winter months, it is generally burnt the following fpring. I 

 have been informed by one perfon, that (when there was an ap- 

 pearance of rain,) he has often fet fire to his mofs in the morn- 

 ing, and fown the feed before night. In thofe places where the 

 fire was not extinguifhed, before fowing, he would have beat thq 

 furface with a fpade, or fmothered it by throwing on a little mofs. 

 The alhes would have been fo warm, that the feed would literally 

 have jumped •, yet the vegetation was fo quick, that although his 

 neighbours had been two weekb earlier in fowing upon their clay 

 lands, his crop would have been fooneft cut. 



It may he here obferved, that befides burning after the man- 

 ner I have explained, fome people give a light drefling, of per- 

 haps 40 or 50 bolls of flacked lime, or at the rate of five or fix 

 tons of ftoncs, per acre. I am aflured that the lime will do no 

 manner of good to the two firft crops, as thefe, with the aflies 

 alone, are generally rather too ftrong as otherwife ; but if thq 

 cropping is to be longer continued, a fmall quantity of lime will 

 be of fcrvicc. Novice junior may, however, agree with me in 

 opinion, that inftead of following our plan, of taking three or 

 more fuccclhve crops of oats from newly improved peat- mofs, it 



would 



