304 



reconimendecl as a stuffiing for beds and cusliions. At Laggan Point 

 fine cliffs occur, but they are not productive, being chiefly covered with 

 Pyrethrum maritimum, Arenaria maritima, Cochlearia officinalis and 

 some grasses. Beyond this point the shore becomes sandy and is cover- 

 ed with bent. A little way inland boggy ground occurs, in which the 

 three species of Drosera, Rhynchospora alba, Utricularia minor, Meny- 

 anthes trifoliata and other marshy plants are found. This boggy ground, 

 like that near Kilchoman, was in many places very wet, and resembled, 

 in that respect, the bogs which occur in Ireland, such as those of Cun- 

 nemara, in Galway. The peat is of excellent quality, and is used 

 extensively for fuel. 



Much might be done to improve this peaty soil by paring, burning, 

 draining and the admixture of sand, which is abundant in the neigh- 

 bourhood. In cases where draining could not be easily accomplished 

 at once from the nature of the level, the system of colmation, as pur- 

 sued in Italy, might be practised, so as to deposit soil on the surface 

 of the peat, and thus raise its level so as to enable draining to be af- 

 terwards undertaken with success.* The introduction of Dactylis 

 cffispitosa, or tussac grass, might be successful in this situation, both 

 from the nature of the climate and the proximity to the sea. Should 

 this grass be introduced into the country, the peaty soil on the west- 

 ern islands of Scotland would probably be that best fitted for its 

 growth. In this way the waste lands of these localities might be made, 

 without preparation, to afford excellent pasture, as well as protection 

 to cattle. This grass was noticed in the Falkland Islands during the 

 recent Antarctic Expedition. A short account of it was published by 

 Sir William Hookerf. The plant is called tussack or tussac grass, 

 from the lower part of its culms forming a tuft or tussack. The stems 

 rise to the height of four or six feet, and the leaves hang down all 

 round. It is perennial, and produces large leaves and an enormous 

 quantity of herbage, which is saccharine and nutritious. The cattle 

 in the Falkland Islands are remarkably fond of it. The plant thrives 

 best in a wet peaty soil, in insular situations where the spray of the 



* Carte I doanlicbe della valle de Cliiana, con un saggio sulla storia del suo bo- 

 nificamento et sul metodo cou cui vi si Eseguiscono le Colmate, di G. A. Manetti, 

 Fiienze, 1823. 



The system of colmation was fully explained by Professor Gordon atone of the 

 late conversational meetings, and its application to such localities as Lochan Moss, near 

 Dumfries was pointed out by Mr. Smith. 



f Hooker's Notes of the Botany of the Antarctic Expedition. See also, 'Garden- 

 er's Chronicle,' for March 4, 1844, and ' London Journal of Botany,' vol. ii. p. 247. 



