332 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[May T3, 



PEAT A VALUABLE MANURE. jl was anxious to improve, and lor which I had 



The following observations are extracted from an able not a sufficient command ofslable dui.?. It lay 

 work OQ agriculture, which we have often quoted, by the side ot a nver, across which was llirown 

 and as often com,nended. The work is entitled- a mill-dam-used, as most of my re^adcrs know, 

 .... ,, D • • 1 r\T , r ,.,„j i to Stem the water, and raise It to a hi2:her level, 

 LettersofAgr.colaonthe Principles of Vc-setafon and ,^_^^ .^ be conducted by a lead or sunk 



Tillage, &c. aud was written by .Iohn \ovsc. Esq- L.,^,^^ ,^ ^^^ ^^j^^^, ,,^ ,^.3 ,,i,^j, , ^^„^^,, ._ 

 ofNovaScotia. H opens to the view ol many of our | ^^^^^^^^^ j,^^ ^^ he erected, and threw into 



New Enjlaiid farmers, mines of manure of more in- 

 trinsic value than tliegems of Golcouda or the gold 

 of N'oith Carolina. 

 Peat, in its natural state, is of a little or no srrvice as a 

 manure, for reasons stated by Mr Young. But, as it 

 is chiefly composed of carbon, or coaly matter, whicli 

 constitutes the greater part of the substance of all 

 plants, if properly prepared, it is exceeded by scarce, 

 ly any matter which the animal, vegetable or min- 

 eral kingdoms can furnish, for giving fertility to tlie 

 field of the farmer. 



Peat has been most extensively employed as 

 a manure ; and in this light it possesses distin- 

 guished claims to our attention. There has cer- 

 tainly been no discovery in modern hu^liandry 

 so useful in itself, and so directly conducive 

 to the augmentation and culture ol'gr.iin, as the 

 art of exposing pealearth to the elfects of fer- 

 mentation. By it, an inert and unprofitable sub- 

 stance is changed into a most aclive and etBrienl 



the water about twenty tons of earth taken from 

 a contiguous bog. This water, whi h drove 

 the mill, tillrated through the massl'or upwards 

 often clays; and I then ordered it to be taken 

 out and spread in the sun. When it was in a 

 moist state, between wet and dry — a circum- 

 stance which should never be neglected in bring- 

 ing on fermentation in this inert substance — it 

 was piled up into an oblonj; square from, about 

 3 feet high, and allowed there 10 gather heat. 

 A slight fermentation came on, and when turn- 

 ed over three weeks afterwards, ils organic te.'!- 

 lure was considerably decayed. I mixed with 

 it about 4 tons of horse dung in alternate strata, 

 and I had -in n month '22 tons of as rich tind val- 

 uable manure as the mos; onlhusiaslic agricul- 

 lurist could have desired. The only use of the 

 dung, be^i Ics its own richness, was to accelerate 

 the procf's;. 



Il wouhi be unjust to deprive Lord Meailow- 



hank of the well earned honour of having been 



manure; and animal and vegetable substances, i (he lirst wIm investigated and ascertained on 



during the very process of their own decomposi 

 tion, can be enlisted to subdue the nosiou?: quali- 

 ties, and to dissolve the organic texture ofpeal\ 

 matter. This body, in its natural stale, contains 

 a considerable quantity of tannin, which is a 

 powerful aslringeni, and resisis all a|iproachi'S 

 to putrefaclion : and it is also impregnated with 

 ^cids, unfriendly to vege'ation, and ivhich niU'^t 

 be expelled hy bringing on a degree of beat 

 created by richer and mure fermenlable subslan- 

 ces. 



Various schemes have been suggested by dif- 

 ferent writers, and ihese brought to the test of 

 experiment by scicniilic farmers, in order to de- 

 prive [leat-earth of its antiseptic qualille-, and 

 bring it to a slate of putridity. In this field of 

 inquiry have laboured in succession. Lord Mead- 

 owhank, William Aiton, and Doctor Rennie of 

 Kilsyth, each of whom have addeil something lo 

 the previous knowledge, and by their joint ef- 

 forts they have contribuled to place this subject 

 in a very clear and beneficial light, i t Rennie, 

 ■who is the latest of these writers, has discover- 

 ed that peat may be divested of its antiseplic 

 and ins.iluble qualities, hy mere immersion in a 

 running stream. The constant iiow of water 

 -carries olTthe l.innin, and obnoxious acids, and 

 leaves the earth ready to passinlo a slate of de- 

 composition. He has even found, that if a col- 

 lected heap of this matter be watered copiously 

 for ten days, once every day, its biirirul quali- 

 ties will be discharged by the mere filtration ; 

 and if it be afterwards trimmed up into a com- 

 ■|)ost body, and allowed lo ilry, vi'ill n-enerale a 

 gentle heal, which is perfectly sutVicient, al- 

 though not discoverable hy the hand. The 

 Doctor further slales, that it may be putrified 

 by being pxpo.sed lo a current of steam ; and al- 

 though this cannot for the purposes of busbaud- 



scientitic principles, the immense value of this 

 species of manure. That learned Judge, per- 

 ceiving that peat ivas antirely composed ofveg- 

 elable substances endowed with an antiseptic 

 virtue, or " a capacity of resisling putrefaction" 

 instituted a philoso|diical inquiry into the nature 

 of Ibis singular qualily and the manner in vviiich 

 it might be overcome. From his extensive 

 rhemical knoivledge, and his diligent and pain- 

 ful researches, he found, that this anlisiqiiic 

 power ovved ils origin to the acids, and the as- 

 tringent [irinciple of tan ; and as these were re- 

 duced, in succulent and fresh vegetables, by Ihe 

 hot fermentation to which the}' were exposed 

 in the full career of putrefaction, he wisely con- 

 cluded, that the same cause would produce in 

 prat the same effects. After varying his ex- 

 periments in the course of six years, he publish- 

 ed Ihe results in a pamphlet, which is distribut- 

 ed gratis, and thus acquired 10 himself an im- 

 mortal name in the records of Scotch Agiicul- 

 ture. The composl middens of Lord Meadow- 

 bank will be known and recollected by the latest 

 posterity, when the decisions which he passed 

 on the Bench, of which he was Ibe prop and or- 

 nament, shall have worn away hy the corrosive 

 louch of oblivion. The peat to be used, accord- 

 ing to his lordship's directions, may be taken, 

 either from the top or bottom of the bog; but 

 the turfy parls ought to be laid aside, as mosl 

 unsuitable for the operation. After being 

 thrown out of the pit, il should lie for some 

 weeks till drained of ils moisture, and tlien trans- 

 ported to the field where the compost miihlen 

 is lo be t'orined. The proportion of the ingre- 

 dients should be one ton of dung lo three of 

 moss ; hut allhoiigh Ihese were the proper qtian- 

 tilies with the materials which his lordship em- 

 ployed, it has been found trom experience, that 



ar.d will therefore suffice lo decompose a larg- 

 er quantity ; and ils power in this respect, will 

 also be regulated by its own stage of putrefiC- 

 tion : for if fresh, Ihe he.it will be more rapid 

 and much stronger, than if old and rotten. 'I'he 

 nature of the peat Ion, must also be taken into 

 account in as'^orting the ingredients. Some is 

 a [lure vegetable body Iree ofexiranenus mailer, 

 from its being formed on an elevated situation; 

 other, again, contains a mixture of eartli, «hich 

 renders il brittle, inadhesive, and putrescible ; 

 because it h;is originated in a patch of low land, 

 or in the corner of some meadow, liable to be 

 occasionally overQown from the high grounds. 

 When it accumulates in such hollows, its texture 

 is broken by the primitive earths suspended in 

 the lurbid waters, with which it is flooded; and 

 in place of exhibiting a malted and organic stru - 

 lure, it resembles Ibe consilience of paste, and 

 is more a fluid than a solid body. Such |ieaty 

 mailer may at once be carted to the arable fiidd 

 and used as a manure wiiiiout any preparation ; 

 and if llirown into a comiiost middk."), six loads 

 of il will be easily fermented with one of dung. 

 But peat is not generally of this character; 

 and rules ol' composting must be laid down as 

 applicalde lo Ibis sulislance, commonly found of 

 a lough and inileslructilde contexture. As soon 

 as it is dug from the jiil, it should be spread out 

 In dry, but not to harden in the sun; tor if by 

 exposure to drought, il changes into a firm ad- 

 hesive lump fit for fuel, it is almost impossible, 

 b} any known mean«, lo induce afterwards the 

 puticf.iclive process. Whoii il is, lherefo.e,a- 

 boul half dry, it should be carried lo Ihe midden, 

 and fiisl of all laid regularly along the bollom 

 six inches dee[i, to con-ililule the first siralum. 

 This should be succee ed by ten inches of dung, 

 then six of mess, four of dung, and so on, till the 

 lallcr IS exhau-led. Above (he whole, a laver 

 of moss should be spread to raise Ihe midden lo 

 the height of t'oiir feet, and all ihe matprial*:, 

 from the very beginning, should be piled up 

 in the ln.')sesl stale, to encourage an incipient 

 fermentation ; which comes on, sooner or later, 

 according to the slaie of the weather, and that 

 of Ihe component parls. Il is at this time, that 

 Ihe jirincipal skill and care of the operator are 

 called for, to mark and asccrlain the firogress 

 of the compost ; for soon as il approaches to 

 blood heal, it ou.ght 10 be vvafered and turned 

 over with a new mixlurc of moss, 10 prevent 

 the dissipation of the useful gasrs. After the 

 ] tomperaturn has subsided, the whole mass should 



ry, be reduced to practice, it is a curious and other proportions may be safely and judicious 

 intereslin? fact. I jy adopted. In fact, the mixture should depend 



I once had occasion to try the efTecIs of a run 

 ning stream on peat earth, and it succeeded be- 



on the nature, both of the dung and peat which 

 are to be crmpounded. Horse-dung produces a 



youd my expectations. There was a field which more violent fermentation than that of cows, 



be broken down, commencing at the one end, 

 chopping with Ihe spade all Ihe bulky maler.als 

 and ndxiug them in Ihe most perlecl manner. — • 

 .\ new hill e.xaclly resembling the la^t, should 

 be foimed on the same principles, adding either 

 moss or dung as ihe state of the fermcntatioo 

 indicates ; and after a second heat has been 

 generated, which in a few days will become 

 apparent, the heap should be suffered to cool, 

 and il v^ill be iuslantly ready lo apply lo the 

 ground: but Iho longe.r it remains in the mid- 

 den, the decomposilion will be more perfectly 

 efl'ecled, and llio elementary principles of ve- 

 getation more treely ilisengaged. in summer, 

 the whele preparation may bo finished in eigiit 

 or ten weeks, but in winter, no injury will be 

 sustained hy keeping the materials in compost 

 till the opening of tlie spring. Three tons of 

 moss to one of dung would in this country, 1 fear 

 form an unfcrmentable compound, from tlxg su- 



