50 THE LAECH. 



of Harrington's estate in Cheshire an excellent crop of 

 larch, perfectly sound and healthy, growing upon what 

 is termed "deep flow moss." The manner in which 

 the ground had been prepared was by first cutting open 

 ditches, and throwing the excavations upon the inter- 

 vening space of ground, which served the twofold pur- 

 pose of at once draining and raising it to the necessary 

 height above the level of the water ; the ground being 

 naturally so lowly situated and level that no other means 

 could be found for draining it. The moss, however, not- 

 withstanding its being rendered sufficiently dry for the 

 growth of trees, was, on account of its spongy nature, 

 incapable of doing so without some other aid and arti- 

 ficial appliance, and for this end clay from some of the 

 surrounding fields had been carted as far as horses 

 could travel upon the moss, which, in most places, was 

 only to its margin, from whence, by means of hand- 

 barrows, it was conveyed all over the surface of the 

 ground — the heaps being laid down, one barrowful to 

 each, at an average distance of about twelve feet apart. 

 The heaps had been neatly laid up dome-shaped by 

 the spade, and a young larch planted in the centre of 

 each. 



