82 
On Reclaiming Heath Land. 
if the nature of the ground requires it, previous to paring. If 
there be a deficiency of stone?, a part of the drains might be 
allowed to remain open or half-finished until after the paring and 
burning are accomplished, when more will make their appear- 
ance. Tile-draining may be resorted to where stones are not suffi- 
ciently abundant for the purpose. The ditches along the sod 
fence will be found serviceable for the purposes of drainage on wet 
land, and ought to be carefully disposed with that view, not having 
too much or too little descent ; and, during the first course of 
cropping, all the water which runs down the furrows, or from off 
the land under tillage, ought, if possible, to be turned upon the 
contiguous grass lands, bv wav of irrigation. Great benefit is fre- 
fjuently derived by this course, in consequence of the water carry- 
ing oflF a considerable quantity of lime and ashes in solution. The 
reason for having the draining done as a preliminary step is to 
insure the more effectual burning of the parings ; for, if the land 
be springy or generally wet, it is often very diifficult to get them 
burnt, especially in a wet season — a loss that will be visible upon 
such parts for many years hence, as I shall hereafter notice. 
The land having now been prepared for the operation of paring, 
this part of the work ought to be done, if possible, in the months of 
April and May, in order to have the benefit of the best and most 
favourable part of the year for getting the parings well dried for 
burning, which ought never to be neglected when they are dry 
enough for the purpose, for the longer they lie after being cut a 
month or six weeks the worse they are to manage. They soon 
begin to unite with the ground, imbibing moisture with the young 
grass vegetating amongst them, which neutralizes the effects of sun 
and wind. Under such circumstances much extra labour and 
expense will be incurred; and, even with such, a failure is fre- 
quently the residt. 
The most eflfectual method of paring is by the "paring spade," 
or "pushing spade:" although we sometimes see it done by a 
light plough, properly rigged for the purpose, and drawn by one 
horse, in order to save a little time and expense. The latter sys- 
tem may sometimes be advantageously applied to land which has 
been under the plough ; but I prefer the former most decidedly 
upon nil land which has not been under cultivation previously ; 
and I apprehend that I shall be borne out in my preference on this 
head, for the plough can only be made to supersede the spade 
upon land of a very even surface and free from stones, with little or 
no heath upon it — such, for instance, as fine loams or previously 
cultivated bog earth, where thick parings may be taken with im- 
punity, and no difliiculty ever experienced in burning them. 
The cost of paring unreclaimed heath land by the spade ranges 
from \'2s. to 16^. per acre; and the burning of the parings in 
