530 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



is in a stale of decay, decomposition lias commen- 

 ced, and a very different soil is presented, and of 

 course a difi'erenl treatment is called ibr. Had 

 these circumstances been brought under noiice by 

 writers on moss inipro\-enient, not only would their 

 conflicting staieaienis have been avoided, but im- 

 mense sums saved, or applied uselully and lo per- 

 manent advantnge, which ol'teniimes have been 

 wor^e ihan tiirovvn away. 



J)epih, Ilumldiiy, and Draining. — Mosses ol' 

 great depth, or vertical thickness, and having a 

 nearly level surface, are grnerally more elevated, 

 Bot'ter, and more fluid towards their central portion. 

 It is a common practice to encircle them with a 

 main drain, which indeed prevents flooding from 

 higher grounds, but has little or no effect in drain- 

 ing the area of the moss field. The main drain 

 should invariably pass through the centre of the 

 eoftest or deepest part of the moss ; and although 

 that should be the highest, it will very soon be- 

 come the lowest, and produce a subsidence and 

 inclination towards it, on all sides. It is commoni}' 

 objected to this course, that the moss is loo soft to 

 admit of it ; and, indeed, if the drain is at the out- 

 set made more than one loot in depth, the matter 

 thrown out will soon press the sides together, or 

 even cause the bottom to swell up. This difficulty 

 is, however, not insurmountable, if operations are 

 carried gradually, nnd if at the same time with the 

 main drain, smidier ones are led ofl' from it, at 

 right ancles, in parallel striught lines, and only 

 made deeper as the moss consolidates, fa the 

 vicinity of a large river, or of the s?a, the whole 

 excavated moss of the principal dniins muv better 

 be floated ofl'; and where too elevated to admit of 

 a stream of water being brought over it (or that 

 purpose, the main drain may be deepened lor a 

 time, merely by the rain water collected on the sur- 

 face. This course was eflectually employed in a 

 drain a mile and a half in length, in Elair Drum- 

 mond moss, in Pertshire, naider the eye of the wri- 

 ter, and under the direction of his father. The 

 moss was eighteen feet deep, and so soft that 

 boards were necessary even in the dryest season 

 to support the feet from sinking when only walk- 

 ing over it ; and indeed on one occasion it burst 

 out and covered many acres of the adjoining ara- 

 ble plain, and surrounded several houses, sur- 

 mounting every obstacle adopted to obstruct its 

 course. Whatever be the nature of moss, it is on 

 all hands agreed that no improvement can be 

 made without draining. Yet it must be a primary 

 consideration, whether, under all circumstances, 

 the expense even of draining would be well be- 

 stowed, althoun-h, were even the pernicious effects 

 on vegetation and aniinal life included in the esti- 

 mate; yet on the latter account, it is most desira- 

 ble that all mosses were eflectually drained. The 

 facilities for this purpose ought indeed to be among 

 the first inquiiies, and thai? not merelv whether 

 there is a superficial inclination, such as might be 

 sufficient for draining other soils, but also making 

 allowance for the subsidence of the moss, conse- 

 quent on draining, which may average one-fiflh of 

 its depth. If there be a permanent stream through 

 the main drain, liable to occasional increase, allow- 

 ance nmst be made so as it may he sufficient to 

 contain the whole, and thereby avoid all flooding; 

 but otherwise no drain in any kind of moss need 

 exceed four or five feet in dep.th, and Cor covered 

 drains a depth of three feet is quite sufficient. 



These being straight, and parallel to each other, 

 and discharging into larger subdivisional drains, 

 and being distant from each other from Iwenty-lbur 

 to forty-eight feet, according to the nature of the 

 moss, will in general be found quite sufficient. 

 'Hiere is no danger ol over-dryinir moss by drain»- 

 ing; but there is much danger of this being done 

 by trenching; moss should never be stirred Ibrcrop- 

 ping to a greater depll) than eiaht or nine inches. 



3Ianurcs, £/c. for Decomposing Moss. — Adja- 

 cent rock strata ought to be carefully explored, as 

 in general they have each their corresponding 

 earthy covering more or less adapted to the purpo- 

 ses of vegetation. Where the rocks are of the 

 primitive class, or of -the coal formation, their dis- 

 integrated portions, and oft-times their superficial 

 covers, are of inferior value as a soil ; but even the 

 reck earth of the latter, as also of clay-slate, lime, 

 or even the old red sandstone, though not previ- 

 ously mingled nor superimposed in the moss, are 

 yet valuable as ingredients of composts Ibr top- 

 dressing; as are also those of the purer sandstone, 

 greenstone, and sea sand, containing calcareous 

 matters hi a state of decomposition, or even when 

 these are absent. While sand laid over moss pro- 

 duces rapid decomposition, and consequent vege- 

 tation, no such eflect is produced by the purer 

 clays. Putrescent matters, whether animal or 

 vegetable, possess the most powerful influence. 

 Lime, imless in compost, seems to have no such 

 eflect on simple mosses; and its effects on mixed 

 mouses, or those in a state of partial deconi[)osilion, 

 must defiend on the quantum of Ibreiijn matter and 

 other circumstances, jj^xamnles might be given 

 in illustraiion, and also of numerous failures in 

 moss improvements, which have nevertheless been 

 lauded as if attended vvilh complete success. Re- 

 garding these and some other matters, a future op- 

 portunity may perhaps be afforded for offering fur- 

 ther remarks. 



Prospects of j^dvantage by Improvement. — The 

 value of moss greatly depends on local circum- 

 stances; and particularly with regard to the sup- 

 ply of operatives at the commencement of im- 

 provements; access to putrescent manures; mar- 

 kets for the sale of the produce ; soils affording 

 materials Jbr top-dressing; and turf suitable for 

 wedge-drains ; or for drain tile, or stone for drains, 

 or clean gravel if fbund preferab.'e ; the expense 

 at which these can be laid down at the moss must 

 enter into the calculation. Or, again, if th.e moss( 

 is to be entirely removed, whether an adequate 

 supply of water can be obtained with access to a 

 river or to the sea into which it may be floated off. 

 Nothintr adds more to the intrinsic value of moss 

 than mixtures ol" other soils during the progress ofi 

 its formation, either by means of the winds carry- 

 ing drift sand, or by water transporting earth 

 particles. When, again, a considerable quantit 

 is thus superimposed, the soil ceases to be a moss, 

 y)roperly so called, and is an alluvial soil upon 

 moss subsoil. In either case little more is required" 

 than thorough drainin<r, in order to the production 

 by ordinary means of the best crops ; and such is 

 the description of the greater jiart of the mosses 

 hitherto successfully improved in Scotland. There 

 are, however, more of this description of mosses 

 than is generally supposed, for the conmiixion ol 

 foreign materials is not easily detected by the eye. 

 exceplinrr by the inspection of dried portions in a 

 strong light afler being recently broken across. 



