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ly fertile ; while the other, especially in a dry season, is very ua.productive. The growth which occupied this mould when thetrees were felled, is still found entire ; and consists principally ofheath, among which several smaller plants are perfectly distin-guishable.
Immediately above this stratum lies the moss, to the height, oaan average, of sever, feet, w'hich is composed of vegetables ar-ranged in three distinct strata. The first of these is three feetthick, black, compact, and heavy, and much preferable to theothers for being made into peats for fuel. This consists of bent-grass, agrostis, which seems to have grown up luxuriantly amongthe trees after they were felled. The second stratum is also threefeet thick, and is composed of various kinds of moss plants, butprincipally of bog moss, sphagnum. This stratum is of a sallowor hon colour, and is remarkably elastic. It is commonly calledivhiieptat, and is considered as verymuch inferior, for thepurposesof fuel, to the former or lower stratum. The third stratum,which is about a foot thick, and of a black colour, is composedof heath, and a little bent-grass, but chiefly of the deciduousparts of the former.
An inquiry will here occur :—What has occasioned this succes-sion in the vegetables of which the moss is composed ? Everyvegetable has a peculiar soil, more or less moist, peculiarly ad-apted to its nature. Let a piece of ground be in a moist state,rushes wall naturally introduce themselves: Drain the groundsufficiently, the rushes will disappear, and finer vegetables willsucceed. It seems reasonable to account for the succession ofthe different plants composing the strata of the moss on similarprinciples. Let us imagine an extensive plain covered with treeslying in all directions, full of branches, and possibly loaded withleaves. This would evidently produce a great stagnation of wa-ter, which would still increase as the successive crops of bent-grass accumulated j and the probability is, that at length it hadso increased as to be the cause why the bent-grass and other con-genial plants of the first stratum ceased to grow. After thisthe bog-moss established itself, which is a plant that loves evento swim in water. When the successive accumulations of bent-grass and bog-moss had arisen in process of time to six feet abovethe surrounding carse ground, the water that fell upon the sur-face had by that means an opportunity to discharge itself. Ithas accordingly formed many channels, which are often threefeet deep; and the intermediate surface has become convertedinto firm dry hillocks, unfit for the growth of mosses, to w’hichheath has succeeded.
By far the greatest part of Kincardine moss is fully seven feetdeep on the average, and has in all probability lain undisturbedsince its formation. This is called the high moss, The remainder,called the low mass or spread field, lies to a considerable breadth