PEAT. 



trescent animal matter, which acts 

 as a ferment and greatly hastens the 

 decomposition. 



" The soils for which peat forms 

 the best manure are the chalky and 

 clayey. Sand lias too little tenacity ; 

 it lets the gases produced by the de- 

 composition escape, instead of at- 

 tracting them, as clay does, and pre- 

 venting their escape. 



" The burning of peat destroys the 

 vegetable matter, and leaves the 

 earths and salts behind. They are 

 accordingly very strong stimulants to 

 vegetation, especially that of clovers 

 and herbaceous plants, of which the 

 leaves and stems are the most valu- 

 able parts. If the soil is well fur- 

 nished with vegetable matter, and 

 capable of bringing an abundance of 

 seed to perfection, it may be very 

 useful to apply peat ashes to increase 

 the verdure ; but on poor soils des- 

 titute of humus, the increase of the 

 stems and leaves does not ensure a 

 hke increase of seed. Hence it is 

 often remarked that soot, potash, 

 saltpetre, and similar substances pro- 

 duce a deceitful growth, giving a rank 

 green leaf, which is not succeeded by 

 a heavy ear ; but, on the contrary, 

 the produce in seed is rather dimin- 

 ished than increased by the use of 

 the manure. Whenever a stimula- 

 ting manure is used, the soil should 

 be naturally rich, or enriching ma- 

 nure should be applied at the same 

 time. 



" The following particulars of the 

 conversion of peat into a rich com- 

 post were given by Lord Meadow- 

 bank about forty years ago, and show 

 that the principles which we have 

 here laid down were known to him. 



" He recommends taking the peat 

 out of the moss some time before it 

 is used, that it may lose a portion of 

 its moisture, and be lighter to carry 

 It is then to be carted to a dry spot, 

 where the compost heap is to be 

 formed. A bottom of peat is to be 

 laid six inches deep and fifteen feet 

 wide ; on this are to be put ten inch- 

 es of good yard dung, then six inches 

 more peat, and over this four inches 

 of dung, and so alternately to the 

 568 



height of four or five feet. The whole 

 should then be enclosed all round 

 with a wall of peat, and covered with 

 the same material. The proportion 

 of fresh dung is about seven cart- 

 loads to twenty-one of peat, if the 

 weather is mild ; but more dung is 

 required if the weather is cold : over 

 this heap ashes or lime may now be 

 spread, in the proportion of a cart- 

 load to twenty-eight of the compost. 

 The dung should not have fermented 

 much before it is used, and if it is 

 watered with urine or the drainings 

 of a dunghill, the effect will be more 

 rapid. Animal matter, such as fish, 

 refuse of slaughter-houses, and every 

 substance which will readily undergo 

 the putrefactive fermentation, will ac- 

 celerate the process, and save dung 

 in the compost. Where pigeons' or 

 fowls' dung can be procured, a much 

 smaller quantity will produce the de- 

 sired effect. The heap should not be 

 pressed down, but left to settle by its 

 own weight. If the heat produced 

 by the fermentation is very great, the 

 whole heap may be turned over and 

 more peat added to it. This will 

 keep up the heat till the whole is re- 

 duced to a uniform mass of black 

 mould. It may then be put on the 

 land in the same quantity that farm- 

 yard dung would have been, and, con- 

 sequently, by a little labour, four times 

 the quantity of manure is produced 

 by the mixture of the peat with the 

 dung. It is found that lime is not 

 essential to the Ibrmation of this com- 

 post. The fermentation excited is 

 sufficient to decompose the tannin 

 and convert it into a soluble extract. 

 The fibres, partially decomposed, are 

 reduced into vegetable mould, and the 

 whole assumes a uniform and rich 

 appearance. A complete chemical 

 change has taken place, and the peat, 

 from being very inflammable, is now 

 scarcely capable of combustion, and 

 that only in a very great heat. There 

 is no better or more economical mode 

 of converting peat into a rich manure. 

 In summer the whole process may 

 be completed in eight or ten weeks ; 

 in winter it takes a longer time ; and 

 it may be useful to give the heap an 



