268

ON THE RUKAE ECONOMY

very offensive to strangers. Whins and broom are also usedfor fuel, when nothing better can conveniently be had. Theburning of turf, or the surface of the land, is still practisedin some places, but, to the great advantage of the country,this destructive practice is rapidly falling into disuse.

The mode of preparing peat for fuel is similar throughout thewhole country, namely,one man employed, with a sharp spademade for the purpose, generally requires two women to car-ry the peat from the moss, to a firm piece of ground, wherethey lie till hard enough to be placed upon their edges in nar-row heaps, in which state they remain till sufficiently dried,when they are carried home, and stacked for winter use.Great as the quantity undoubtedly is of peat-moss, in all theHighland and upland districts of the country, yet peat canby no means be reckoned a cheap fuel; for, owing to the dif-ficulty of access to many of the mosses, and the wetness ofthe climate, which is particularly unfavourable to the win-ning or drying of peat, the labour and patience necessary forsecuring a sufficient supply, is often incredible, especially up-on the shores of the Western Highlands, and in the Hebrides ,where the inhabitants are obliged to have a fire in their housesduring every day of the year. There the expence necessaryfor fuel is, in some cases, reckoned at a third part of the rentof the land ; that is to say, many farmers who at present payL. ISO, would willingly pay L. 200 per annum , if the landlordwould supply them and their servants with fuel.

It has been proposed by some intelligent men, to have acertain number of labourers, who should devote their wholeattention, during the summer and autumn, to the digging andwinning of peat, at some proper station, similar to a coal-work, for the purpose of supplying the neighbouring districtwith advantage to all parties concerned ; but if from the pre-cariousness and unsettled state of the weather, the exertionof the whole population is scarcely sufficient to secure a pro-per supply for winter use, how could a limited number ofhands furnish what may be necessary? It is not the difficul-