70 



This last character is important, as it implies slowness 

 of growth, and consequent difficulty in recovering pos- 

 session of the surface, after extermination, or even serious 

 injury. 



Before I proceed to avail myself of this knowledge of 

 the nature of heath and the habits of the grasses I mean 

 to substitute in its place ; I shall quote one strong instance, 

 in which this substitution actually took place, without any 

 previous intention of transferring possession from heath to 

 the gramina. 



Some twenty-five years ago, the Marquis of Aber- 

 CORT^ attempted to form a plantation near the conical 

 summit of his mountain, Bessy Bell : an acre was in- 

 closed, the peaty surface dug, and of course the heath 

 exterminated. 



Being on a visit to his Lordship, fifteen or sixteen years 

 after this acre had been planted with forest trees, and then 

 having taken up the gramina as a department; and ob- 

 serving, at about a mile distance, the strong contrast 

 between the verdure of this small spot, (as it appeared) 

 and the brown heath every where surroundingit, I ascended 

 the mountain, to make observations on the effect produced 

 by operations at so great an elevation. 



I found the young trees all quite dead, except the alders, 

 which were making weak suckers from their roots ; that 

 the heath had not resumed possession ; that some varieties 

 of grass were there in tolerable good health, particularly 

 the agrostis stolonifera; but that the growth of these 

 grasses was much impeded by a profusion of moss or fog, 

 choaking them up : — anxious to give the grasses fair play on 

 such disadvantageous ground, I requested his Lordship's 

 agent, who accompanied me, to send up some men with 

 rakes to destroy this fog, which was done; and three 

 years afterwards, when I paid another visit to Barons- 



