258 History and uses of Peat, 



avoid its pressing the adjoining ground by its weight, and 

 causing it to be crowded into the excavation. 



After the peat bed has been uncovered to the extent of 

 these nine feet, some other workmen, who are called tireurs, 

 (drawers,) cut it the breadth of two spades, raising it and 

 putting it out at one of the angles of the excavation. This 

 quantity will make two pieces of nine or ten inches broad, 

 and seventeen or eighteen long, which are called chanteanx, 

 (cantles, junks,) each of which is equal to two peats or turfs. 

 A break being made in the bed, each tireur continues to cut, 

 one going to the right and the other to the left, by means of 

 a shovel with a wing projecting at its side, at right angles 

 with the blade. The shaj^c of the individual peats or turfs, 

 is made by cutting with tliis instrument. They are parallel- 

 opipedons, eleven or twelve inches long, and three inches in 

 the other dimensions. The top of the spade, or rather of its 

 blade, is called the point, a point as we have said being the 

 length of eleven inches. The parallelopipedons contract 

 and shrink, more or less, in drying. 



The faces or sides of the opening are cut perpendicularly, 

 and the adjoining peat does not fall in, on account of its ad- 

 hesiveness. It is subject to depressions only from weight 

 being laid upon it too near its edge, which we have alread} 

 cautioned against. 



The ditch, cut perpendicularly, is continued along on one 

 side of the pit or opening in the bed, so that the peat to be 

 raised is cut only on two sides by the winged shovel, and is 

 easily detached from the mass by the effort of the workman. 

 1st, he sinks the shovel to its depth, which we have said is a 

 point or eleven inches ; 2dly, he starts it by the handle a ht- 

 tie forward ; 3dly, he inclines it a little from the side oppo- 

 site to the wing ; 4thly, he brings the shovel again perpendic- 

 ular ; and 5thly, he raises the peat. When peat is cut under 

 water, more time and caution are necessary.* 



The stoutest tireur cannot throw the peat out of a pit 

 which is more than fifteen points in depth, so that when the 

 pit is eighteen or twenty points, it is necessary first to throw 



* Thus far, it has been the intention to translate every sentence, not always 

 literally, but sometimes by paraphrase, in order to convey the true meaning. 

 The details are now becoming so minute, that it is expedient to omit some 

 passages, and to abridge others. In some instances, the ideas of the original 

 are expressed entirely in the language of the translator, to avoid a tedious 

 prolixity.— 2Vans. 



