13 



As a rule mosses cover the bottom of the basin, various species 

 according to the height of the water; usually there is a covering of 

 helophytic phanerogams, which may be very numerous at the margin: 

 Agrostis canina, Carex Gpodenoughii, Eriophorum polystachyum, E. vagi- 

 natum, Juncus fiUformis, J . lamprocarpus, J. supinus, Rhyncospora alba, 

 Scirpus paluster and others. According to the degree of moisture these 

 moss-bogs may be divided into: Sphagnum bogs (Sph. cuspidatum and 

 others), Dicranum bogs (D. scoparium var.), Grimmia bogs (G. hypno- 

 ides), Polytrichum bogs (P. gracile) and Stereodon bogs (S. imponens). 



In the Sphagnum bogs there may be water over the moss till late 

 in the summer, whilst the other bogs very soon dry up and are only 

 filled with water in the autumn and winter. A zonal formation of the 

 mosses mentioned according to the degree of moisture -- can be 

 observed in the same bog. A later stage of the development may be 

 represented by the Agrostis canina bog and the sedge bog, these plants 

 dominating over the mosses. 



Common to all the formations on the heather moor is their acido- 

 philous character; under the heath, the moor and the true peat the 

 sand can be differentiated into Blysand and Al (moorpan) owing to the 

 action of reducing humous acids. 



Lastly, it may be mentioned, that four large heath fires have de-' 

 vastated the heather moor during the past generation (1869, 1890, 1893, 

 1909) ; the first and third of these occurred in the dry season of the year 

 and burnt away most of the heath plants, w T hilst the second and last 

 arose in spring and did less damage. After the last fire the vegetation 

 is still young; the areas burnt in 1869 and 1890 have regained their 

 original appearance, whereas the piece burnt in 1893 still shows a 

 physiognomic difference from the old heath. 



C. Ferdinandsen. 



3. Knude Moor. 



Knude moor just to the south of Herning is a heather moor, 

 that is, a moor covered with Ericaceae (Erica tetralix and Calluna vul- 

 garis etc.). The actual heather moor is about 380 hectares in area, 

 changing gradually over to grass moor in the east; a small part has 

 been converted into permanent pasture and meadow, but the greater 

 part is still uncultivated, though showing many signs of cultural in- 

 roads, in the shape of numerous fires, making of roads, peat digging, 

 ditches etc. The greatest depth of the peat so far measured is 4,7 m; 



The. vegetation of the still almost undisturbed moor consists of 

 an Erica-Scirpus-caespitosus-Sphagnum formation. The surface is 



