§4 TRANSACTIONS. 1 897-8. 



was brought to the edge of the bog and deep enough to un- 

 water it. But any attempt to penetrate the bog at such a depth 

 was futile. Its semi-liquid mass rolled into the drain quicker 

 than it could be dug out, and made progress impossible. 



In the second place it was thought possible at Musquash 

 to get rid of the water more rapidly than by the slow steady- 

 going operations of nature. Much ingenuity was displayed 

 and much expense incurred in inventing and operating ma- 

 chinery for squeezing out the water from the mossy pulp but 

 without success. Artificial heat was also used for effecting 

 the drying more rapidly, but it is hard to conceive how that 

 could have been done economically. Drying by natural means 

 was supposed to be impossible. Indeed a sod of moss, dug 

 direct from the unconsolidated bog, and exposed to the direct 

 rays of the sun for a long time is still found to be extremely 

 moist in the inside. Therefore it is that, previous to any at- 

 tempt at drying such sods, their material must be previously 

 drawn together; consolidated by pressure while in the original 

 bed, so that when they come to be acted upon by wind and 

 sun they will be better conductors of heat, and dry in a 

 reasonable space of time. On the whole the failure at Mus- 

 quash may possibly have been owing to the common fault of 

 neglecting or undervaluing the experience which has been 

 gained elsewhere. 



In the County of Welland, bounded by the Welland 

 Canal, its feeder, and the shores of Lake Erie, there is a large 

 area of " marsh," the history of which occupies considerable 

 space in the records of the County Council. The Ontario 

 Peat Fuel Company is now engaged in trying to utilize the 

 material of this marsh for making moss litter. The product 

 has been placed on the markets of our Canadian cities and is 

 to be purchased in Ottawa. We most sincerely trust that 

 everything will be done by Canadians to make use of it, not 

 only on account of its inherent good qualities, but on account 

 of the advantage which is likely to inure to our agriculture 

 by its extensive application to the various purposes for which 

 it is suitable. 



If ever the moss litter industry succeeds in Canada it will 

 most likely to do so in the Province of New Brunswick, 

 which is said to contain the most extensive moors in the Do- 

 minion. Many of these skirt the shores of the Gulf of vSt. 

 Lawrence, and those near Point Escuminac have been de- 

 scribed by the late Mr. Edward Jack of Fredericton. In his 

 lifetime Mr. Jack was an enthusiast in exploring the moors 



