96 



these abandoned spots can be completely clothed with 

 " grass, is hardly credible ; the only difficulty to be encoun- 

 " tered is effectual protection from cattle." 



Pag-e 18. — The immense extent to which this species 

 " of agricultural improvement may be carried, or rather 

 " would imperceptibly carry itself if attended to, is scarcely 



to be believed. 



" The process of cutting out moss is going on steadily 

 " in all peat countries ; but the conversion of the ground, 

 " after being cut out, into profitable land, is practised by 

 " few, and by those^only under the most favourable circum- 

 " stances ; that is, when the ground is left sufficiently dry 

 " and soUd to bear a crop of potatoes, to be followed by 

 " rye, perhaps meadow. 



" But where the ground is wet, low, and soft, it is gene- 

 " rally left to Nature to clothe such surfaces as she best 

 " can. It is even very seldom she is aided by any attempt 

 *' to level or let off the water." 



Page 20. — " Now if the small pbrtion of moss annually 

 " cut out by such person or family be laid down with 

 " grass, so soon as the turf-cutting is finished, the business 

 " is done, and the meadow will follow close on the steps 

 " of the turf-cutter, as far into the main bog as his in- 

 " dustry shall have carried him. 



*^ I shall now indulge myself with a little Utopian spe- 

 " culation on the subject, and shall suppose for a moment 

 " that the feasibility of the measure I recommend is ad- 

 " mitted, and the practice universally adopted ; let us try 

 " what will be the result in my own country. 



" To suppose that there are in the Kingdom of Ireland 

 " only 600,000 families using turf fuel, is a very moderate 

 " computation ; and I know that I shall be greatly within 

 " bounds, if we allow to each family, on an average, only 



