472 



F A R M E K S ■ R K G I S 'I E R . 



[No. 



Happil}', the cultivation of even that most fbr- 

 biildiiiix of all specii^s of soil, does not now rest on 

 mere specuiarive theor}', but is a matter of fact, 

 well founded, and ascertained beyond all manner 

 oi"doubt ; not in a iew, hut in man}' instanqes, and 

 to the extent of thousands of acres, in many differ- 

 ent counties of Scotland and England. The man- 

 ner in which that has been done, liills to be made 

 known and attended to, that others may Ibllow the 

 examples set betbre them. 



Of Draining Moss. 



Draining is the first step towards improvement 

 of flow moss; but this requires to be executed 

 with caution. Such moss, in its natural state, is 

 too wet, and too soft ; and, to remedy these evils, 

 proper channels ought to be opened, to relieve the 

 surt'ace of every drop of stairnant water. If the 

 surface of the moss is nearly level, the drains 

 ouiiht to be deeper, and more numerous ; but 

 wherever it has a tolera'ule declivity, fiirrows, of a 

 foot in width, and six or eight inches deep, lead- 

 ins; into cross drains, and these into a main drain, 

 in the lowest courses of the moss, is all that is ne- 

 cessary, or can be of service. Under-draining, 

 trenching, or any other operation to render the 

 moss dry, more than merely relieving all parts of 

 the surface of sfaunant water, is not only labor 

 losr, but highly injurious to the moss as a cultivated 

 soil. Moss is no doubt too soft when wet ; but is 

 also too hard when it is dry. It takes in too much 

 ■moisture in winter, but it is always too dry in 

 .spring and summer. Where the surfiice is so 

 ;fbrnied, as to allow the water to run off as soon as 

 it tails Irom the clouds, cultivated moss cannot be 

 kept too wet. A cultivated moss soil always 

 yields the best crops, in a wet, and the worst in a 

 dry season. Moss, after being dug up and form- 

 ed into a soil, will dry more in one day, than clay, 

 or even loam, will do in a week. Theoretical 

 writers have said much about under-draining, 

 trenching, &c. to render moss dry; and many, in 

 the outset of their cultivation of that species of soil, 

 have thrown away large sums in cutting deep 

 ditches, under drains, &c. But ihey have gene- 

 rally discovered their errror, and restricteu their 

 draining ot' moss, merely to a removal of the 

 -springs, and relieving the surface of stagnant 

 water. 



Of Laboring Moss. 



The ridges ouirht to be formed broad, and near- 

 ly level. If the moss is very damp, with little de- 

 clivity, the ridijes may be formed twenty or twen- 

 ty-five feet broad at first; and two of these may 

 be put into one, the second time the moss is crop- 

 ped. The ridges may be raised about six or eight 

 inches in the centre; and here, as in the bent moss, 

 care ought to betaken that there be no heights 

 or hollows in the ridges, if any such are formed, 

 the heights will be unproductive, by being too 

 dry, and the hollows, by beinij too wet. 



Flow moss has generally, when first broken up, 

 been delved with spades: but Mr. Lauder, over- 

 seer to General Graham Stirlinir, of Ducher}', 

 and James Hume, esq., from East l^othian. who 

 has reclaimed some deep moss near West Linton, 

 have found means to break it up with lite plough. 

 A concise account of both methods falls to be 

 given. 



When dug with the spade, the soil is cut a pros- 

 per depth, .uid ridires are cornplelely formed at 

 the first. The moss ought to be labored during: 

 the latter part of harvest, or early in winter, so as* 

 it may be reduced to soil by the frosts and show-- 

 ers of winter, before it is formed into peat. In- 

 this descripiion of moss, it is best to allow it tO' 

 remain exposed to the weather, for at least two 

 winters, after being delved, and before cropping, 

 so as the soil n)ay be more completely formed. 

 The manure may be cartied on, in time ofdrouchi 

 in summer, or frost in winter; and a deep hoe- 

 ing, or slight delving given, about the Martin- 

 mas time, the winter befbre the seeds are sown. 

 Mr. Jvauder's method is, to cut a drain round 

 fbur or five acres which also serves as a fence, 

 and to fbrm as many small drains, as to relieve 

 the surflice of moisture. After these have been 

 open Ibr a year or two. he ploughs the enclosure in- 

 lime of the greatest drought, and leaves it ex- 

 posed to the weather for one or two years more;' 

 then taking the advantage of dry weather he 

 gives it two or three ploughings, puts on manure, 

 forms the ridges, and leaves it ex|)osed till the 

 next spring, when he sows oats. If the soil is 

 well formed by these operations, he sows grass 

 seeds on the first crop; but if it is not formed lo 

 his mind^ he ploughs immediately after the corn 

 is reaped, and takes a second crop of oats, with 

 which he sows grasses. 



Mr. Gow, overseer lo Neil Malcolm, es(]. of 

 Pohalloch and Duntroon, Argyleshire, who had, 

 when 1 surveyed his improvements in 1809, re- 

 claimed more than 1000 acres of deep flow-moss, 

 and who had tried many exf)erinients, now gen- 

 erally delves and forms the ridges, from fifty to 

 one hundred feet broad, and nearly level; leaves 

 the moss, so dug exposed to the weather, Ibr eigh- 

 teen months or two j'ears; then gives it a good 

 dressing of lime, or sea shells; digs it over a sec- 

 ond lime, breaking the turfj and smoothing the 

 surface and sows grass seed^ in tlie month of July 

 fbllowing, without taking any other crop; pastures 

 with sheep the first year or two. and with cows 

 afterwards. When the pasture begin to fail, he 

 applies a new dressing of hot lime; I am humblj' 

 of opinion, liowever, that a crop of oats migiit be 

 taken to advantatje, afier the second liming. 



Though several other modes of breaking up 

 and cultivating moss, have been pursued, and 

 with considerable success, these seem to me to 

 be the most advisable, and safest courses of pro- 

 cedure. Some have cropped even deep flow-ninss 

 the first year afier it was dug up; but the crops, in 

 such cases, have seldom been equal to the seed 

 sown. It is much better to allow the moss to re- 

 main exposed, Ibr a year or two, to every change 

 of the weather, till the peat be reduced to soil by 

 the alternate frosts and thaws, rains and drouirhts. 

 When it gets frost immediately after bcMug duu up, 

 it more readily fills into soil, than it does al ler be- 

 ing first dried into peat. 



Of Manures. 



The manures most proper for flow moss, are 

 those best for any other soil; as dung, lime, and 

 compost. lOven earth, sand or any oiIkm" sub- 

 stance that the vicissitudes of the weather can re- 

 duce to the stale of earih. will operate as an ex- 

 cellent manure to moss. Dr. Anderson, and the 



