the name given in Scotland, and we believe also in some parts of England, to what is more properly called a *moorish*, a *fen*, or a *bog*. On the formation of these mosses some conjectures have been hazarded in the *Encyclopedia*, where the reader will likewise find a copious account of the method which has for many years been successfully employed to convert the Moss of Xincardine into an arable soil, or rather to remove the substance called *moss* or *peat* from the rich soil which is found below it. A method, however, has been invented by Mr John Smith of Swindrig-muir, in the shire of Ayr, for actually converting the substance called *moss* into a vegetable mould, which has been found by experience to carry rich crops of corn, hay, potatoes, &c. Of this gentleman's practice we have the following account in a small pamphlet published in Edinburgh, 1798, by Fairbairn and Dickson.
"The first thing to be done is to mark off, and cut out, proper main or master drains, in order to carry off the superfluous water, taking care to preserve the greatest possible level; which drains are so constructed as to divide the field into inclosures from six to ten Scotch acres. If the moss hangs or declines, the inclosures may be of any dimension whatever. The dimensions of these drains when first made are eight feet wide, by four and a half feet deep, declining to two and a half feet at bottom, and cost at the rate of one shilling per fall of eighteen and a half feet, running measure. The ridges are then to be marked off regularly, five or seven yards broad, formed with the spade in the manner following.
"In the centre of each ridge, a space of about twenty inches is allowed to remain untouched, on each side of which a furrow is opened, and turned upon the untouched space, so as completely to cover it (like what is called the feeding of a gathered ridge). Thus begun, the work is continued, by cutting with the spade, in width about twelve inches, and turning it over to appearance as if done with a plough, until you come to the division furrow, which should be two feet wide, cut out and thrown upon the sides of the ridges. The depth of the division furrow is to be regulated by circumstances, according as the moss is wet or dry, but so as to answer the purpose of as it were bleeding the moss, and conducting the water to the main drains.
"It may be here observed, that the success of the aftercrops depends very much upon a proper formation of the ridges. They must not be made too high in the middle, for there they will be too dry like a peat, upon which the lime cannot act, and near the furrows they will be too wet, which is equally prejudicial; they should therefore be constructed with a gentle declivity to the furrows, so as the rain which falls may rather filtrate through the ridge to the furrows than run quickly off the surface.
"The next operation is to top-dress the ridges with lime, at the rate of from four to eight chalders per acre. Five Winchester bushels make a boll, and eight bushels a chalder of shell lime, producing fifteen bushels powdered lime. The quicker the lime is put on after being flaked the better.
"The proper season to prepare the moss for a first crop is early the preceding summer; in that case the lime, aided by the heat, the after rains, and the winter frosts, makes considerable progress in the process of putrefaction, consequently forms a mould to receive the seed.
"Though oats have sometimes succeeded as a first crop, potatoes have been found greatly preferable. The method of planting them is simple, and attended with little expense. The moss, prepared by ridges, and limed as before described, beds for the potatoes are, in the spring, marked off across the ridges, five or six feet broad, with intermediate spaces of about two feet, as furrows or trenches. The beds are covered over with a thin stratum of dung, about eighteen single-horse carts to an acre, the cuttings of the potatoes are laid or placed upon the beds, about ten or twelve inches together, and the whole covered over with a thin stratum of moss from the intermediate trenches, which is followed by another covering from the trenches when the potato plants make their first appearance; the covering in whole four or five inches. In this state they remain without any hoeing till the crop is taken up. The produce on Mr Smith's moss has never been less than from forty to fifty bushels of excellent potatoes, eight Winchester bushels to the boll, and the bushel a little heaped.
"When the potato crop is removed, the ridges are again formed as before described, and the division-furrow cleared out. In performing this part of the work, it will naturally occur, that a great part of the manured surface will be buried in filling up the trenches between the potato beds; but that is not the case; the workman makes two cuts with the spade, at eighteen inches distance, upon the side of the trench; another, one foot from the edge of it, as deep as the trench; which, instead of turning over, he presses a foot forward into the trench, which is continued the length of it; and when he comes to the other side he does the same, making both meet, and so proceeds; so that no part of the manured surface is thrown down, and the ridge is left in the same form as before the lazy-beds were made.
"When the potato crop is taken off, and the ridges thus formed as before described, they remain in that state for half till spring, when oats are sown (a wet or dry season has kind of... from experience been found a matter of indifference), and harrowed in with a small harrow drawn by two men. Men with each harrow at least one acre one rood per day, two and two by turns with the harrow, and the other two in the interim with spades, smoothing the inequalities, breaking and dividing the mould, and clearing out the division furrows; which last in all operations upon mows are essentially necessary. The early or hot feed oats are always preferred for seed. The late or cold feed runs too much to straw, falls down, and becomes floomy, consequently the grain is of mean quality, and unproductive in meal.
"The produce of the first crop of oats after potatoes is seldom less than ten bolls per acre, the Linlithgow holl of six Winchester bushels, and considerably more has been known; as good grain in quality, and meals as well as any in the country. It has been held when growing, what is called upon the foot, including the straw, from eight to ten pounds per acre. To prepare for a second crop of oats, the ridges must be dug across, and turned over in the manner before described, and the division furrows cleared out as soon as convenient after the first crop is removed.
"Such is the effect of lime in consolidating mows, aided by the draining, that often after the second, and always after the third year, it can be ploughed by horses within two bouts or stitches of the division furrow; and also harrowed by horses, and the crops taken off by carts.
"Five and often six consecutive crops of oats are taken, without any other manure than what it received the first year for potatoes, without any apparent signs of it being exhausted. The produce of the first two crops of oats has been mentioned to be ten bolls, and the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, produce from six to ten bolls per acre. The mow is now turned into a seeming rich dark brown mould; and what renders it less productive of corn crops the fourth, fifth, and sixth years is, its naturally running into sweet and luxuriant grasses. The soft meadow grass, the daisy, some plaintain, but principally the white clover, are the most prevalent grasses; or more probably it may be ascribed to these crops being ploughed, in place of being dug with the spade, as the former years were. Along with the fifth or sixth crop of oats, rye grass is sown, which, with the natural grasses in general, produce an abundant crop of hay."
"If the mow in the original state has been wet and spongy, it will be found to have subsided some feet after the third or fourth year's operation has been performed; but care must always be taken to deepen, clear out, and keep clear the main drains and the division furrows, to prevent a superabundance of moisture, which would infallibly be the case were they neglected in consequence of the subsidence of the mows. Indeed mows of all sorts will subside less or more, in proportion as it has been dry or wet in its original state; at the same time, as stated before, care must be taken not to lay it too dry, but to keep in a proper degree of temperature between these two extremes."
By having recourse to the pamphlet from which this extract has been made, the reader may satisfy himself of the real advantages of this species of agriculture. The author calculates, with much apparent fairness, the expense of improvement, and the value of each crop, and concludes that no waste can be improved with equal advantage as mows. It must not, however, be concealed, that we have heard practical farmers, who seemed to be acquainted with the subject, give it as their opinion that this mode of cultivation answers only in mows of no great depth; though our author affirms that it has with great success been practised by Mr Smith in mows of the depth of 14 feet.