38 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 1 



dant opinions, that we are much inclined to think, 

 few of them understand the nature and properties 

 of moss, or are acquainted with its origin and his- 

 tory. 13y one we are told, that peat earth is a 

 primitive soil, and of antediluvian origin. By 

 another, that it is a kind of growing vegetable, or 

 a plant sui generis, which continues to grow and 

 increase to an immense magnitude and indefinite 

 age, and may continue growing and increasing, 

 till, like the lean kine of Pharoah, it swallows up 

 and devours all other soils that are in its neighbor- 

 hood. By a third, we are informed, that it pro- 

 ceeds from ligneous and aquatic plants, brought 

 into action by the destruction of the immense 

 forests which anciently abounded over all Europe. 

 Our opinion leads us to adopt this hypothesis, be- 

 cause it is supported by the appearance which 

 peat moss generally presents, and by facts which 

 may be gathered concerning the former state and 

 condition of the places where moss is now most 

 predominant. It is indeed truly wonderful, that 

 60 little should be known upon a subject confess- 

 edly of the greatest importance, not only to the 

 agriculturists of Britain, but also to those of the 

 whole world. Under this impression, we ex- 

 amined the essays now under consideration with 

 much anxiety, and can safely state, that few 

 writers liave treated of the origin of moss in a 

 more luminous manner. The author (Mr. Ren- 

 nie) seems to be free of prejudice, attentive to mi- 

 nute inquiry, and disposed to gather knowledge 

 from every source within his reach, or which pro- 

 mised to yield the information he was m search of. 

 Mr. Rennie has presented us with two es- 

 says on this important subject. The first is on 

 ligneous plants, wherein he shows, that forests 

 abounded in the north of Europe two thousand 

 years ago; and then points out the causes, or 

 means, which brought about their destruction. 

 In the second essay, he treats of aquatic plants as 

 contributing to the formation of moss; and it must 

 be acknowledged, that his deductions are in strict 

 conformity with his premises, in short, we have 

 perused many papers on peat earth, or moss, but 

 from none of them have experienced so much 

 eatisfaction as from the essays of Mr. Rennie. 



The tenth section of the second essay contains 

 the author's general conclusions, all of which are 

 clear, distinct, and well expressed. The first of 

 these conclusions is, that moss is of vegetable ori- 

 gin. The second, that all moss is either com- 

 posed of ligneous or aquatic plants; and the third 

 is so much to our mind, as to encourage us to lay 

 it before our readers. 



' Thirdly, From the above account we may 

 conclude, that many regions now covered deep 

 with moss, were at one period arable lands, at 

 another forests, at a third lakes. 



'Wemayslill trace these changes, and mark 

 their progress, in many mosses. For instance, 



' 1. Under some mosses the marks of the plough, 

 and even ears of corn and other grain, with va- 

 rious utensils of husband rj^, have been found. 



'These are clear evidences that, at one period, 

 the above surface was a ploughed field. 



'2. In these ridges a vast variety of trees are 

 found, some standing erect, others fallen prostrate, 

 but all with their roots fixed in this subsoil of ara- 

 ble land. This is a proof that, at a second and 

 subsequent period, the surface was covered with a 

 forest. 



' 3. These trees are sometimes found immersed 

 in moss of a semi-liquid state, to the depth of 10, 

 20, or 30 feel; and a*|uatic plants, such as flourish 

 in water, may be still traced through all its depth. 

 Nothing can be a clearer proof than that this, at 

 a third and subsequent period, has been a lake. 



' And in this stage some lakes are still found. 

 Lough Neagh is an instance of this. Mr. Smith, 

 in his account of it, mentions, that part of this 

 loch was formerly a forest; that this is the com- 

 mon tradition among the inhabitants of that dis- 

 trict; that it is probable, for much wood is found in 

 it; that this wood is sunk in a kind of pulpy moss 

 called mire, black at the bottom of the lake. If 

 so, it will naturally be asked, why the whole loch 

 has not been converted into moss? It is impossi- 

 ble for me to assign the reason. Perhaps the 

 great extent of the surface, and the agitation of 

 the waters by the winds, may be unfavorable for 

 the growth of those aquatic plants which contri- 

 pute to form moss; or, perhaps, the petrifying 

 quality of the waters may be unfavorable for this 

 purpose. If the aquatic plants above described 

 grow in any sheltered bays of this loch, and if they 

 are there accumulated, they may ultimately be 

 converted into moss. This I mention, merely to 

 excite the attention of the intelligent part of the in- 

 habitants of that district to the subject. 



' 4. It is certain that, in other places, many 

 lakes have been, by the above means, filled up 

 and converted into mosses. 



'5. And it is equally certain that, at a subse- 

 quent period, these mosses, by consolidation, may 

 have been converted into meadows, and after- 

 wards into rich arable lands. Most of the fertile 

 plains along the banks of rivers, in the north of 

 Europe, are of this description; they, of course, 

 generally lye on a subsoil of moss. 



'So that it is probable that many of these have, 

 in the course of ages, undergone all the above 

 changes; from arable lands to tbrests, from forests 

 to lakes, from lakes to mosses, from mosses lo 

 meadows, and from meadows to their original 

 stale of arable land; I call it their original state, 

 but I think it probable that, before they were first 

 cleared and cultivated, they were originally cover- 

 ed with wood. 



' It is natural to suppose, that many low levels, 

 covered with wood, have been converted into mo- 

 rasses. The trees, by falling into decay, and 

 stemming the course of rivers, may ha\^e occa- 

 sioned such a stagnation of water as to cause this 

 change. It is equally natural to suppose, that 

 such low levels may have been converted into 

 deep lakes. The mouths of rivers may have been 

 so stemmed, by accidents such as I have de- 

 cribed, p. 51 and 52 of my first essay, as to raise 

 the waters in the valley to a level above all the 

 plants and trees that originally sprung up and 

 flourished in it. If this valley was of small ex- 

 tent, and the lake formed in it favorable for the 

 growth of aquatic plants, the whole waters may 

 have been first covered over with a matting ot 

 these. By consolidation, and the continual acces- 

 sion of vegetable matter, the whole lake may 

 have thus been converted into a moss. 



' All those mosses which are deep, and contain 

 trees, some standing erect and others prostrate on 

 the original subsoil, and especially those which 

 contain a rushy, reedy peat above these trees, and 

 , a black compact moss above this, seem to me to 



