98 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
JToreign Correspondence. 
MR. NORTON’S LETTERS—No. VIII. 
Lab. of Ag. Chemistry Association, ) 
Edinburgh, Dec. 31, 1844. ) 
L. Tucker, Esq.—In my last letter, I alluded to some 
rather remarkable improvements of peatmoss, that I had 
seen upon the estate of Mr. Fleming 1 of Barochan, near 
Paisley, in Renfrewshire. These improvements are as 
yet but of small extent, embracing by far the least por¬ 
tion of a moss of about 150 acres. It seemed to me how¬ 
ever, that they had been both skillfully and economically 
conducted, and I will endeavor to give some account of 
the method pursued. 
A large part of the land now' under cultivation, has 
been reclaimed by a tenant named Weddle, a fine speci¬ 
men of a hard working, shrewd, practical man, making 
up for the want of means, by industry and foresight. His 
house stands where the peat was once 20 feet in thick¬ 
ness, and at the distance of a few hundred yards in front, 
where the improvements terminate, it yet rises, a per¬ 
pendicular wall of about 12 feet. He is allowed the pri¬ 
vilege of cutting as much of it for sale as he chooses, and 
all spare time is employed in this business, so that nearly 
an acre of ground was dotted with large stacks, piled up 
in such a way as to be thoroughly exposed to the sun and 
wind. 
The chief difficulty in improving peat moss is to obtain 
a good soil on the surface of the peat. In this case, the 
clay lying immediately underneath, is of excellent quali¬ 
ty, and yields good crops when it can be brought to the 
surface; but bringing it up from beneath 10 feet and up¬ 
wards of solid peat, is of course not to be thought of. 
Many plans have been proposed for reducing* the thick¬ 
ness of such immense masses; a proprietor a few miles 
from Barochan, is pursuing a method which has found 
favor in other parts of Scotland. He has erected a steam 
engine, which pumps a large quantity of water from an 
adjoining river, into a sloping canal, the mouth of which 
is opened at intervals, and masses of peat thrown into it, 
are swept by the current into the river, and finally to the 
sea. This method is painfully slow, and the capital re¬ 
quired, forbids its employment by any but the wealthy. 
Mr. Weddle’s plan is far simpler and more economi- 
gal. After the peat is dug away for sale to within from 
to 4 feet of the underlying clay, he makes the surface 
into conical piles, each containing some dry peat in the 
center; when the preparations are complete, the dry por¬ 
tion in the center is kindled and causes, before it expires, 
a slow combustion of the surrounding mass; when fairly 
started, it is only necessary to throw on from time to 
time, the wet peat dug up around each heap. In this way 
several feet in depth may be burned away in a season, 
with comparatively little expense. But this is not the 
only advantage. Peat, as it is a product of vegetable 
life, contains the substances necessary to sustain that life. 
In the state of peat, however, various organic acids are 
present in injurious excess, and it is otherwise not in a 
condition to readily give up its valuable constituents as 
plants require them; but when burned, noxious ingredi¬ 
ents are driven off, and the ash which remains, is a val¬ 
uable manure, so much so, that it is largely imported 
from Holland under the name of Dutch ashes. 
When the thickness of the peat is considered sufficient¬ 
ly reduced, the whole is thoroughly trenched, and a foot 
of the subjacent clay brought up and spread upon the 
surface. This clay, in itself good, is further improved 
by mixing with the ashes resulting from the burned peat, 
and the two together, form a soil scarcely to be surpass¬ 
ed. Each field is well drained at the same time that the 
trenching is performed. 
It is obvious, that even with the exercise of the most 
rigid economy, the redeeming of this land must be ex¬ 
pensive. We were favored with a statement of all the 
\arious expenses incurred in subduing an area of one and 
a half Scotch acres; the Scotch acre is about one-fourth 
more than the English imperial acre. Draining, trench¬ 
ing three and a half feet and bringing up 12 inches of 
clay, cost for the whole, £42, or $200. A heavy dress¬ 
ing of manure and 6 tons of lime to the acre, together 
with the operation of wheeling on by barrows, the ground 
being still soft, oost $270 more, making .£97, or about 
$470, before a crop. 
The first crop was potatoes, and the sale realized £54, 
from this deduct £9 for seed and working, and £2 7s. for 
rent, there remains as clear profit £42 15. 2. Oat crop, 
108 bushels, brought £15 10s. deduct for seed and labor, 
£3 and £2 5s. for rent, leaves £8 5s. 3. Oat crop, lar¬ 
ger in quantity than the previous year, but the price low¬ 
er, being £8 8s.; deduct as before £5 5s. for seed, labor, 
and rent and £2 additional for grass seed, leaves only £l 
8s. 4. Grass being the present year, two cuttings, worth 
£12, from which deduct rent, and £9 15s. are left. He 
has thus from four crops, made £62 3s., from which must 
still be deducted interest, and there remains £49 15s., or 
$240, being $60 a year, or more than 12 per cent per an¬ 
num, or the original capital. 
I have been thus particular in giving these statistics, 
because I think they show in a striking light, that judi¬ 
cious enterprise, is sure to be profitable, and because they 
may incite some of our proprietors, who complain that 
they cannot afford to improve their land. What a small 
tenant farmer, with small capital, can do, may at least be 
jequaled by a proprietor, with even less means. 
| I have said that the peat ash, containing the substance 
jof dead plants, is therefore fitted for the food of living 
(ones. This is beautifully illustrated, as by chemical re¬ 
search, many practical points are here, under my eyes 
daily, by an analysis of the ash of two different layers of 
peat, analyzed lately under the direction of Prof. John¬ 
ston, the results of which I am permitted to insert in con¬ 
trast with an analysis of Dutch ashes, also made here. 
Black Peat 
White Peat Ashes from 
Ashes. Barochan. Dutch ashes. 
Organic matter (charred turf,) 54.12 pr ct. 
Suf. and carb. of potash & soda, 6 57 
Alumina,.2.99 
Sulphate of lime, (gypsum,) -10.49 
Carbonate of lime, ... - 8.54 
Oxide of iron,.4.61 
Oxide of manganese & magnesia, 
Phosphate of lime, - - - - 0.90 
Siliceous matter,.10.88 
99.10 
With a few observations on these analyses, I will close. 
It will be perceived that the ash of the White Peat, was 
very imperfectly burned, more than half of its weight 
consisting of unburned organic matter; it is therefore ne¬ 
cessary to double the weight of its other constituents in 
order to compare it with the Black Peat from the same 
moss. Compared with the Black Peat, it is especially 
rich in phosphates, as doubling the per centage, makes 
them 1.80 per cent or nearly 2 lbs. in 100. The White 
Peat is the upper layer of the moss, and therefore con¬ 
sists of newer plants. A striking feature of these ashes, 
is the quantity of sulphate of lime, (gypsum or plaster) 
which they contain, amounting in the two first, to fully 
one-fifth of the whole weight. The sulphate and carbo¬ 
nate of potash, too, is worthy of special notice as a very 
important ingredient. On the whole, we have in the 
two first about 40, and in the third, about 20 lbs. in 100, 
of substances necessary to our cultivated crops, and even 
indispensable. I think that the mere presentation of such 
facts, obviates the necessity of any further argument, and 
I am quite confident, that those of oor farmers who con¬ 
sider the matter, will never again waste so valuable a 
portion of their possessions. I am, yours truly, 
John P. Norton. 
3.02 pr ct. 
25.77 pr et. 
5.16 
2.78 
2.48 
11.19 
21.23 
16.35 
3.50 
1.21 
18.66 
trace. 
3.39 
0.40 
1.24 
43.91 
37.24 
98.36 
99.17 
MR. MITCHELL’S LETTERS—NO. III. 
Liverpool, 20 th December , 1845. 
Luther Tucker, Esq. —Do not expect too much of 
these letters. All I hope is to give your readers the ad¬ 
vantage of my own observation, which, though limited, 
it will be my aim to make discriminating and practical. 
I cannot hope to possess the advantage of communication 
with high authorities which some enjoy—still, I mean to 
keep my eyes all the while open, and shall not let placards 
or “ spring guns,” or fears of apprehension, deter me 
from occasional rambles through the grounds of gentle¬ 
men farmers; nay, shall even presume, with yankee in*. 
