72 



surface be unequal, we must bring it to a coarse level, 

 striking off with the spade the small rising tammocks, and 

 tufts of heathy which when dry will assist us greatly in 

 lighting our fires. 



Our following measures are exactly the same as in the 

 case of grassy mountains : — discharge the waters, enrich 

 the surface, and invoke Nature to stock it with excellent 

 food for your grazing cattle ; and I pledge myself she 

 answers ybur call. 



It is not easy, a priori, to determine the distance at 

 which the drains are to be cut from each other ; discharge 

 of the water is the object, and this must be done effectually. 

 I should guess eighteen feet to be a good distance, and 

 eighteen or twenty inches the depth of the drains. Their 

 angle (the vertex down) should be obtuse, or at least a 

 right one, to prevent the tread of cattle filling them up ; 

 and the greater the width at the top, the more stulF v/c 

 raise. This is the source of our fuel for ashes; and as we 

 raise it, we should dispose it for drying, that w^ may kindle 

 our fires as soon as possible. 



If in sinking we reach the substratum, its material will 

 probably be much more productive of ashes than the pure 

 peat, and of course very valuable to us : nor should we 

 hesitate to sink our drains deeper, for the purpose of ob- 

 taining a great quantity of combustible material ; for the 

 more we enrich the surface, the surer we are of grasses 

 springing up and clothing it. 



Wq light our fires in the intervals between our drains, 

 and when burned out, we spread the ashes on the spot with 

 shovels ; and I think would do well to rake them lightly 

 into the very upper surface. 



These operations are in themselves slight, neither capital 

 nor previous preparation requisite. Shall the proprietors 

 of peaty mountains even deem my specuations plausible, 



