HEATHER BURNING 
With regard to the actual burning, Mr Rimington Wilson’s head keeper, 
Mr Ward, has kindly given a few notes. As he is an expert in the mat- 
ter, and Broomhead Moor is mentioned in the Grouse Committee’s Report 
as being perhaps the best burned and cared for moor in the British Isles, 
his advice is valuable. He says: 
“ The time for burning the heather here is from December to the end 
of March, or not later than the second week in April. Broomhead is a 
small moor of not more than 4,000 acres. 
“ The keeper should decide before December what ground wants burning, 
so that when it is dry enough to burn, he will notice in what direction 
the wind is, and supposing it is in the north he will go to the ground which 
lies facing the north, for the wind will have dried the heather more there 
than it will have done on ground which lies away from the wind and is 
sheltered; and further, he will be able to burn up hill, a great advantage, 
as by burning up hill it will burn much cleaner than if it were burnt down 
hill. 
“It is best to burn in frosty weather when the ground is hard ; if it is 
burnt then it will not destroy the roots or seeds, and the peat is not liable 
to get on fire. 
“ No fire should be more than thirty or forty yards wide, and if the 
heather is old it should be burnt in long strips. If the heather is not very 
old twenty yards wide is quite wide enough. 
“It is wise to put a few strips through young heather, as the young 
grouse will be able to change their ground better than they would if it 
were all thick heather, 
“You get the best results with a moderate wind; if the wind is very 
light the heather will burn very slow, if the wind is very strong it will 
drive the fire too fast, so that it will not have time to burn clean, but will 
only take the top off and leave the bottom and ‘ fog moss.’ 
“ Again, in a strong wind, you never know where the fire is going to 
stop, as it will sometimes drive it across ground you have burnt the year 
before. 
“It is best to run your fires towards a deep gully or stream. On 
no account burn towards the boundary with a strong wind, or even 
with any wind unless you are certain that it is impossible for it to 
get out of hand and over the boundary. It is a singular thing that when 
fires do get over the march they are generally large fires and do a lot 
of harm. 
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