SHOOTING THE GROUSE 



7. Planting round and upon lower parts of your 

 moor. 



As regards burning, it is instructive to find Mr. 

 Wilson, Lord Walsingham, and the Mackintosh (see 

 p. 156) all agreed as to the necessity of this system 

 in order to keep the heather in a healthy condition. 

 Mr. Wilson believes in burning altogether any large 

 tract of deep old heather, though as a general rule 

 the moor should be burnt in strips. Where possible 

 these should run parallel with your lines of butts. 

 He remarks also on the splendid stretches of young 

 heather following on an accidental fire. I have 

 noticed the same myself, and fully agree with him 

 that most moors are not severely enough burned. 

 The old heather is always damp underneath, affords 

 no healthy food for grouse or sheep, and is abominable 

 to walk through. Artistically speaking, I regret that 

 I must give my verdict in favour of systematic burn- 

 ing, while, practically, I must own that it is absolutely 

 essential for the healthy condition of the grouse. On 

 a moor that is exclusively ' dogged ' it must be burnt 

 in patches, so that the young birds, feeding on the 

 very young shoots, may have close to them the resort 

 of good cover in an older patch, and avoid being 

 driven off their feed by the older birds, and that they 

 may thus be more evenly distributed over the ground. 



