SOIL. 



in moft of the deep moffy diftri<fts is of the clayey kind, 

 more or leCs ftiff and heavy, over which the peaty or moffy 

 material is depofited generally in a fort of Itratified order ; 

 the firft layer of which, being commonly not more than ten or 

 twelve inches in thicknefs, exhibits the appearance of a richifh 

 brown earth, arifing, in all probability, fronti the incorpo- 

 ration of the loamy or clayey matters with the peat or 

 vegetable earth lying immediately upon them, and confti- 

 tuting originally, perhaps, the furface of the ground. 

 The layer that fucceeds to this is moitly of a dark colour, 

 and of confiderable thicknefs, apparently formed of a great 

 variety of vegetable and other materials in the more perfeft 

 ftages of refolution or decay, united together by time and 

 other circumftances, with more or lels degrees of com- 

 paftnefs and folidity. The uppermolt llratum, or that 

 which is placed upon this denfe peaty matter, is, in general, 

 of a very pale colour, and very light fpongy texture, arifing 

 poflibly from the graffes, leaves, and other vegetable fub- 

 ftances of which it is formed, not having attained that Itate 

 of decay which conftitutes the darker forts of peaty earth. 

 However, in the more fuperficial peaty foils, little or no- 

 thing of tiiis ftratified appearance is met with. A coat of 

 peaty earth, differing greatly in thicknefs, according to the 

 peculiarity of the fituations, and other circumftances, is 

 formed by a great length of time from the deftruftion and 

 decay of fuccedive crops of graffes, leaves, and other fub- 

 llances of different kinds, and depofited upon, and inter- 

 mixed with, the various harder materials of the foils which 

 happened to be underneath them. It is obferved, that by 

 thefe means much variety is produced in the foils. Where 

 the under ftrata of earthy matter are tolerably good, and 

 the crops of vegetables large and luxuriant, the better forts 

 of light peaty foils feem to be predominant ; but where 

 the quahty of the under ftrata is indifferent, and the 

 vegetable produfts fcanty, as well as feeble in their growth, 

 the poorer forts of thefe foils are formed. And in many 

 diftrifts, tliis, as well as the fandy foil, being depofited or fu- 

 pcrinduced, the bottom being uniformly the fame as that of 

 the adjoining grounds, in the low flat parts, owes its 

 origin evidently to the ftagnation of water ; in thefe places 

 the mols confifts of the roots and decayed leaves of aquatic 

 plants, which are found in diftindl ftrata, and of different 

 kinds, according to their depth. But in fituations more 

 elevated, and upon the tops of the higheft hill<!, the mofs has 

 been formed in fome cafes merely by the decay of the plants, 

 which, fallingdownyearly without beingentirelyrotted, have, 

 in proccfs of time, accumulated and formed the mofs there 

 met with ; but in the hollows, its formation is owit'g to the 

 fame dcpofition, with the addition of a great proportion of 

 earth, waftied from the fides of the hills during tiie floods. 

 In fome parts of the county of Eaft Lotliian, this foil has 

 made confiderable progref, towards decay, and nearly re- 

 femblca black rich loam ; but in by far tiie grcatelt part, 

 the roots and leaves of the different plants concerned in its 

 formation arc in a tolerably perfeft ilatc, and whcji freed 

 from moifture, prefent little elfe than a colleftion of thefe. 



Mr. Somerville concludes, from his experiments made 

 upon mofs in all the different ftages of decay, that tiic pre- 

 dominant principle in the whole is an acid ; and, accmding 

 as the mofs is more or lefs decayed, the prevalence of this 

 principle is more or lefs obfervable. In the experiments 

 upon mofs not much decayed, the quantity of acid was 

 greater, and that of the oil and the alkali lefs, than in any 

 of the other trials; on the contrary, where it was moft de- 

 cayed, it was found to contain the leaft acid and the greateft 

 proportion of oil and alkaline falts. A knowledge of thefe 

 circumftances ie of confiderable importance in agriculture. 



for, by obferving the progrefs that mofs has made towards 

 decay, a tolerable idea can be formed of the trouble and 

 expence that will be neceffary either to bring it into culti- 

 vation, or render it ufeful as a manure. 



And it is fuggefted, that from the fame experiments it 

 would appear, that the conftituent parts of mofs are, i, an 

 acid ; 2, an alkah ; 3, oil ; 4, vegetable earth ; 5, iron. 

 The iron was met with in one inllance only, and in that 

 the quantity of acid was greater than in any of the other 

 trials ; the nature of the acid was alfo different, being evi- 

 dently vitriohc, a thing feldom met with, unlefs in cafes 

 where the mofs contains iron, which is certainly the worlt 

 of all its principles, and the moft difficult to correct. And 

 it is added, that upon comparing the conftituent parts of 

 mofs with thofe of the bett foils, they are found nearly the 

 lame, with the exception of the acid, but in fome different 

 proportions. The alkaline principle in fome kinds of mofs 

 is fcarcely equal to what is met with in good loam or clay, 

 while the oil and vegetable earth are much greater ; a 

 great proportion of other foils confifts of fand, gravel, earth, 

 &c. ; but the earthy part of mofs confifts entirely of a mould 

 formed by the earthy part of decayed vegetables, together 

 with the fediment of water. 



From their compofition, thefe foils muft of courfe be ex- 

 tremely retentive of moifture. It has, indeed, been remarked 

 by the earl of Dundonald, that from the rays of the fun 

 and drying winds being exerted during the fummer feafon 

 in carrying off, by means of evaporation, the fuperabundant 

 moifture in fuch cafes ; and heat being known to be ab- 

 ttrafted from bodies, and cold generated thereby, effefts 

 muft be produced highly injurious not only to climate but to 

 vegetation in general, and more particularly to fuch plants 

 as ftand in need of a higher degree of heat, and more 

 nouriftiment than fuch foils are capable of fupplying. And 

 further, that there can be very little doubt but that thefe 

 prejudicial tffe6ts on the growth of vegetables extend 

 themfelves to the more dry lands adjoining fuch fens or 

 deep molles. It has alfo been found, that the furface- 

 ftratum of peaty foils, from its being more expofed to the 

 influence and aftion of the pure air of the atmofphere, is 

 much lefs foluble than the under ftrata, confequently in 

 its fimple or unmixed ftate lefs proper for the purpofes 

 of agriculture. From the fame caufe, too, it becomes lefs 

 capable of fupporting flame, and is therefore improper for 

 the purpofes of fuel, in the way of turf or peat. 



The different manners in which molly or peaty foils are 

 formed, have been feeii and explained, in fome meafure, 

 above, and in fpeaking of tlie nature and means of culti- 

 vating mody lands. See Mossy Land. 



Very cxtenfive improvements, in foils of this kind, have 

 lately been made in Lancaftiire and different counties in the 

 northern parts of the kingdom, as wl-11 as in feveral diltrids 

 in Ireland. See Turfy Land. 



It may be remarked, that tlicfe forts of foils ftand in need 

 of different methods of management in bringing tliem 

 to the condition of producing crops. In thofe of the 

 deeper kinds, the firft thing to be done is to draw off, as 

 much as poffible, tlie fuperabundant moifture, by the cut- 

 ting of proper drains, and Inch other means as the nature of 

 the fituation, and other circumftances, will admit of. It has 

 been noticed, that in places where water in fufficient quantity 

 can be conveniently made to pals through fuch moffes, and 

 where the foil underneath is good, inucii may be effected oy 

 floating away the principal part of the mnlly lubftance ; 

 but where the molles are not deep, or the loils under tiiim 

 ot a good quality, after the making of proper drains, the 

 beft way ie, probably, to ridge theni in fuch directions id 



mode* 



