HEATHER - BURNING 401 



the patch or strip method has been advocated in the past, and, provided always 

 the strips and patches in their totality suffice to maintain the food scrips and 

 yield of the moor at its highest, no better system could be adopted. P'''*'^'^^^- 



The minor point of whether narrow strips or square patches are advisable 

 is not worth discussing; keepers have their fancies, self-appointed authorities 

 will air their views ; it is probable that both methods can be used with effect, 

 each to suit the special circumstances of individual moors. 



The object to be aimed at is clear, that every bird should have its tufts 

 to nest in at the edges of the burned ground, its bare ground to Apportion- 

 sun itself in and on to which to take out its chicks ; its older J^^'ther 

 heather for concealment, its breast-high 10-inch heather for feed, 

 its well-matured heather for seed and shelter in winter, and, finally and of 

 most importance, its six- to fifteen-year-old heather to keep it in health and 

 vigour in early spring. 



In cases where it is impossible through the wetness of the season, shortness 

 of labour supply, etc., to get the moor thoroughly burned in strips or patches, 

 it may be asked whether it is not better to abandon the small patch system 

 and burn a large acreage of moor ? The answer can be given with no 

 uncertain voice — patches are only a secondary consideration, the first essential 

 is to get the proper proportion of the total acreage of the moor burned each 

 year. Apart from the destruction of Strongyle larvae by fire it must never 

 be forgotten that it is the sufficiency of the food supply that enables birds to 

 stand a heavier infection of this parasite. On Broomhead and Moy moors, 

 which carry regularly the highest stock per acre and are among the best 

 burned moors in England and Scotland respectively, the patches burned are 

 large and disease is practically unknown ; but so also is stick heather ! 



Having laid down the reasons with regard to food supply which make 

 heather burning necessary, the next thing is to consider the various j^igthods of 

 qualities of soil and heather into which a moor is divided, discuss burning, 

 the treatment of each and look into the limitations, some natural and some 

 artificial, which stand in the way of a complete realisation of the object in 

 view. 



Old heather should be burned in strips, for when old stick heather is 

 burned the fire is so hot that the roots are charred and killed ; in oid 

 this case regeneration can only proceed from seed, and if the burned ^^**^^'"- 

 areas are narrow, self-seeding is materially helped by wind-blown seed. 

 VOL. I. 2 c 



