324 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



Peat Soil This in Scotland is also called moss-land. It is formed 

 from decayed vegetable matters. In the north of Scotland I have had 

 peat dug to a depth of twenty feet, which, from the surface to the bot- 

 tom, was evidently composed of decayed ferns, grasses, reeds, and other 

 smaller plants, while amongst these I found numbers of decayed oak 

 and birch trees the o'ak often in a good state of preservation. These 

 soils are found in level parts of the country and in hollows ; and a thin 

 sandy peat is also found on all our heaths and moorlands. Those lying 

 in level parts are often very soft, and not sufficiently decayed to be fit 

 for agricultural purposes ; but they can be much improved by being 

 drained, and thus become useful for agricultural purposes. They are 

 also much improved by the application of lime ; and if gravel or sand 

 can be got to apply as a topdressiug, peat soils are much improved by 

 the admixture. 



The thin peat which is found oil our higher moorlands is a formation 

 of decayed rock and heath. This is seen from the peaty matter which it 

 partly consists of, and the many small sparkling particles of silica and 

 other portions of rock which are mixed amongst it. Such a soil is gener- 

 ally very much impregnated with oxide of iron, and this must be got rid 

 of before it can be made useful for agricultural purposes. Peat or moss 

 can be very advantageously removed and mixed up with a sandy or 

 gravelly soil. This was done with much benefit by the present Marquess 

 of Tweeddale at Tester, where many thousand tons of moss were removed 

 and spread over other thin soils on the Tester estate. In reference to 

 the use of peat for mixing with other soils, Professor Johnston states '. 

 " This peat ought to supply an inexhaustible store of inorganic matter 

 for the amelioration of the adjacent soils. We know that by draining 

 off the sour and unwholesome water, and afterwards applying lime and 

 clay, the surface of peat-bogs may be gradually converted into rich 

 corn-bearing lands. It must therefore be possible to convert peat itself, 

 by a similar process, into a compost fitted to improve the condition of 

 other soils." 



Granite Soils. These are very thin, sandy, and unfruitful soils, 

 being composed of the debris of granite rock. We can easily form 

 an idea of what granite soil is when we examine Professor Johnston's 

 statement of the chemical composition of felspar, one of the principal 

 constituents of granite thus : 



Silica, .... 65 

 Alumina, ... 18 

 Potash and soda, . . 17 



100 



Lime, . . . a trace. 



Magnesia, . . do. 



Oxide of iron, . do. 



Oxide of manganese, do. 



