AGRICULTURE WITH CHEMISTRY. 163 



and quality may be greatly improved by some one or 

 more of the top-aressings or preparations before recom- 

 mended. 



There is a very great extent of poor clayey soil, simi- 

 lar to that which is here alluded to, in many parts of the 

 North of England and in Scotland, for the most part 

 lying at a considerable height above the level of the 

 sea, and frequently in the vicinity of peat mosses, 

 whence it might be supplied with vegetable matter. 

 There are computed to be in the county of Lanark, or 

 Clydsdale, 40,000 acres of peat moss totally unimpoved, 

 producing nothing itself, nor contributing in any way to 

 the fertility of the adjacent poor lands, which are as des- 

 titute of vegetable matter, as the moss contains a super- 

 abundance. Mr. Niesmith, the Agricultural Surveyor of 

 that County, judiciously makes a remark on the injurious 

 effcdls that such mosses may have on the climate of the 

 adjacent country. It requires a much longer time, and a 

 much greater application of dung and vegetable matters, 

 than would l)e generally believed, before poor lands of 

 this description can be rendered highly fertile, and made 

 in all respects similar to land that had been long, or for 



X 2 age* 



