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texture, which being remote with moisture, throws out 

 a growth?) of this ramified heath, .part of which 

 dies every winter, and moulders at the bottom, where 

 it forms another stratum, from which at spring comes a 

 new crop of heath, And thus as these strata of moul- 

 dered heath are annually repealed, the roots increase, 

 and at once extend higher, and are more consolidated 

 at the bottom. Hence the turf is ever found of a closer 

 text iv ^ as we descend deeper in t-he bog. 



The turf js itself only a closely concreted combi- 

 nation of the roots of this heath, which universally 

 grovvs on the surface of these bogs, not iiu* produce of 

 the trees which are at the bottom. Wherever these 

 were thrown dov.n, some earth would be washed down 

 upon them from the adjacent grounds, the surface of 

 which every where produces this heath. And this being 

 now supplied with constant moisture, would tiirow out 

 a more plentiful growth. 



The same cause produces these bogs on the sides or 

 even tops of mountains. But it is ever in wet grounds, 

 or in fiats on the, -side of hills where the water settles, 

 an-1 supplies them with moisture. 



There seems indeed to be a spungy quality v in this 

 heath, which prevents the moistures sinking away from 

 it, by an attraction of the fluids, by an infinite number 

 of capillary fibres, which are the very substance of it. 

 At the bottom of these mountain-bogs no trees are 

 found ; aiid very few in the largest bogs, iink-h* on the 

 s^n Is, of them. 



The turf then from top io bottom i entirely the 

 produce of a vegetation from itself. And the reason 

 why Ireland produces so many turf bogs is because it so 

 abounds with the seeds of this heath, which is every 

 where found where the land is uncultivated, and forms 

 bogs wherever it has proper mpisture. 



Our marie is found only in the bottom of low bogs, 

 at t^e uepth of seven, eight, or nine feet. For three 

 feet deep is a spungy so ..i arth, then gravel for 

 about half a foot. For air u diree feet more is a spon- 

 gy earth, mixed with timber, but so rotten, that it cuts 



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