Cultivation of Moorland. 387 



work performed by horses, but my usual plan has been to per- 

 form this operation with the " working^ beasts," six in a team. 

 The working of oxen, while reclaiming extensiv^e tracts of land, 

 is a good and convenient one, as these improvements always pro- 

 ceed in early spring and summer, and, when done, the cattle may 

 be " tied up " and fatted, while the horse would most probably 

 have to remain upon the farm during' the winter months, at a 

 heavy cost and inconvenient attendance, especially at the early 

 stages of improvement, when a stack of hay or corn is a rare pro- 

 duction. 



The subsoiling of these deep peaty soils is scarcely a tenant's 

 work, as shown by the memorandum of tenant-right. It would 

 be well for the owner of the estate to aid this difficult and heavy 

 branch of outlay by a permanent staff for the purpose, which 

 might go from farm to farm as practical observation suggests his 

 aid. 



Trenching. — On such moors as are too deep for subsoiling, and 

 are yet so situated as to command attention and redemption, 

 trenching is a better plan. In this case I have usually skimmed 

 the surface by a paring plough. This is removed by manual 

 labour to admit of the common plough, which goes as deep as 

 circumstances will admit, observing to turn a deep and narrow 

 furrow ; the trenching then follows. This is commenced at the 

 lowest range of the land, and, when well opened and started, the 

 furrows are " chopped " across, turned downwards, and the 

 trench deepened to its required depth, so as to " break the pan," 

 as before alluded to. The paring furrow, composed of rough 

 grasses, heather, &c,, is carefully thrown under, each man having 

 his stipulated share of the work allotted to him, so that the 

 company of men may follow each other and complete the work 

 as they proceed. The depth of the trenching naturally depends 

 upon the depth of the land under hand, and if there are any in- 

 equalities to be levelled. The removal of the soil beyond 20 

 inches is a heavy affair, this being so far effected by the plough 

 at 6 inches, and two spits of 7 inches each. After this operation 

 has been carefully gone through (j)revious to Christmas) the land 

 awaits the winter elements, and in the spring may be safelv used 

 for any kind of roots that may be wished, not forgetting the 

 potato-plant upon newly broken-up peat soils. This will assist 

 in the mixing of the strata or soils, and will prepare them for 

 succeeding crops. 



I may now give in a tabular form, as a summary of the whole 

 subject, a statement of results foimded on my own experience, 

 from which practi(al men may judge how far moorland improve- 

 ment may be made remunerative to the owner of the soil in the 

 lonsr run ; — 



