TURF. 



by the proper ufe of manure upon it, and at the fame time 

 properly feeding it down with fultable kinds of bve-ftock. 

 See Grass, GRASS-Land, ano Grazing. 



Turf is hkcwife a term applico to a blackifh fibrous vege- 

 table earthy fuhftance, which ib ukd in many parts ot the 

 country as fuel. It varies confiderably in its nature and com- 

 pofition in different places, b.-ing, m fome cafes, hard and ot 

 a dark or black colour, while in others it is foft and very 

 fpongy, and of a brownift colour. It is cut and formed into 

 turves for the puroofe of fuel, by means of a particular fort 

 of inftrument, employed in a certain manner. See Turfing 



It is a fubftance which is not only very afeful in this 

 way, but for burning calcareous ftones -into fime, and many 

 other purpofes in agricultur 



turned over again, as before, and the turf or peat at the 

 fame time broken very fmall, that it may mix the more in- 

 timately with the dung. This often produces another fer- 

 mentation, more powerful than the firll. The mixture is 

 moftly ready for ufe in the beginiiing of the fpring. If 

 lime be ufed, the quantity is very iv.uch lefs than that of the 

 dung, but the procefs otherwife much the fame. 



If, for this purpofe, the turf or peat were thrown up in 

 long narrow ridges, and a little quick-lime dufted between 

 the different layers, it would, it is fuppofed by fome, ex- 

 pedite its feparation, and difpofe it fooner to incorporate 

 with putrid matters. 



This fubftance has likewife been ufed vnth great benefit 

 in both of thefe mixtures, as well as in its fimple reduced 

 ftate in different inftances, in Lancafliire, by Mr. Paterfon 



Turf or peat -earth is capable of extenfive ufe as a manure, and others. See a paper in the third volum.e of the Tranf- 

 it it moftly requires fome preparation to properly fit it for aftions of the Highland Society of Scotland, and lord 

 is fort of application ; ss it is found that it is a fubftance Meadowbanks's Direiftions. 



but 



this fort of appli- , 



which is held together partly by the intertexture of its 



fibres, and partly by its natural vifcidity ; and that when it 



is allowed to dry fteadily in that ftate, it becomes almoft m- 



corruptibie ; and that it does not yield food to growing 



vegetables, unlefs its natural conformation be deftroyed. 



Turf, in Gardening, the green furface or fward cut 

 from paftures, &c. for the purpofe of laying down grafs- 

 grounds ; as lawns, plats, bowhng-greens, banks of pieces 

 of water in pleafare-grounds, &c. 



It is flayed off with the turfing-iron, in regular lengths 



and its parts feparated by the intervention of other fub- of two or three feet, and a foot wide ; and being properly 



fiances. This ftrongly (hews that its ftrufture or texture laid down clofe and regular in the places intended, it im- 



fhould be fomehow broken down and reduced, and the mediately forms an even grafs fward, which quickly ftrikes 



water which it originally contains be forcibly difcharged root in the ground, in proper growth and verdure. This 



from it, as foon as poffible after it is taken from its native fort of work may be performed any time in autumn, winter, 



bed, in orc'er to prepare it for manure. There are different and fpring, in open weather, or occafionally in fummer^ in 



methods of effefting this. It has been fuggefted, that as 



this fort of fibrous matter will not ferment unlefs fome fub- 



ftances are mixed with it, which a£l the fame part as the 



mucilage, fugar, and extraftive or albuminous matters, with 



which it is ufually affociated in herbaceous and fucculent 



vegetables ; a mixture of common yard-dung has been lately 



properly recommended for the purpofe of bringing turf or dandehon, or other fimilar plants. 



peat-earth into fermentation : any putrefcible or ferment- In the operation of cutting the turf, a line fhould be 



able fubftance will, however, anfwer the end ; and the drawn tiglit lengthways of the grafs-ground, and then the 



a moift feafon ; but the autumn is the beft feafon. The 

 beft turf is moftly procured from fine clofe-fed paftures, 

 commons, or downs, &c. where the fward is clofe and 

 even ; or that of any grafs-field of iimilar clofe, firm fward, 

 where the grafs is not rank and coarfe, nor abounding in 

 weeds, or much over-run with the common wild daify, 



more a fubftance h'^ats, and the more readily it ferments, 

 the better it will be fitted for the purpofe. In forming 

 this mixture, it is ftated, that one part of dung is fufficient 

 to bring three or four parts of the turf or peat into a ftate 

 in which it is fitted to be laid upon land ; but that, of 



cutting-racer be ftricken into the furface of the fward, clofe 

 to the Une, pulhing it along fo as to cut or fcore the fward 

 in a ftraight cut the length of the Une, about an inch and half 

 deep ; and having thus raced out one length, the line (hould 

 be moved a foot width further to race out another length as 



courfe, the quantity muft vary with the nature of the turf before, proceeding in the fame manner to a third, and fo on 



and the dung. In circumftances where fome hving vege- 

 tables are mixed with the turf or peat, the fermentation will 

 be more readily accomphftied. 



Turf or peal of this fort, after being reduced in its parts, 

 may alfo be prepared for this ufe by being foaked in the 

 urine of cattle, in putrid water, and other fuch hquids ; 

 likewife by the aftion of lime, and by being ridged up and 

 mixed in the manner below. 



This material, both in mixture with dung and lime, has 

 been ufed with great fuccefs and advantage in Chefhire. 

 The method of preparing it there, in the practice of fome, 

 is, before the winter fets in, to trench and throw it up into 

 narrow ridges, that it may be dried and reduced into a 

 powdery ftate by the aftion of the atmofphere. After 

 fome time it is turned over and laid flat, being then ufually 

 found much hghter than when firft dug up. It is now 

 covered ovtr with dung, in the proportion of a fourth or 

 fifth part of the weight, and left fo for about three weeks, 

 when it is turned over, mixed perfeftly with the dung, and 

 thrown into heaps. A fermentation commonly foon takes 

 place, that varies in its duration in proportion to the moif- 

 ^ure in the turf. When it has fubfided, the mixture is 



to as many lengths of the line, in foot widths, as may be 

 neceffary ; then, by the fame means, the fward is to be raced 

 crofs-ways in yard diftances, and thus the proper widths and 

 lengths are formed. After the fward has been thus raced 

 out, it (hould be flayed, or cut up with the turfing-iron, 

 beginning at one fide, cutting evenly longways the whole 

 length of each raced line, about an inch or inch and half 

 thick ; a perfon following immediately after to roll them up 

 feparately in yard lengths, grafs-fide inward, as clofe and 

 tight as poiTible : having thus cut up one range, proceed 

 with another in the fame manner, and fo continue with the 

 whole. As the turfs are rolled up, they (hould be piled 

 clofe and regular together, ready for carrying away. When 

 cut by the hundred, as is often the cafe where large quanti- 

 ties are required, they are commonly piled up in tens ; four 

 below, three next, then two, and one at top, for the more 

 ready reckoning of the number wanted. 



In performing this fort of work, it is conftantly neceffary 

 to keep a fteady even hand, in order that the turf may be 

 cut all of an even regular thicknefs without any fort of 

 lumpinefs, which renders it lefs difficult and troublefome to 

 lay down, as fuch lumps caufc many inequalities that can- 

 not 



