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around the skirts of the other, and is on the average not abovethree feet deep, to which it has been reduced by the digging ofpeats. These are formed of that stratum only of the moss whichlies four feet below the surface, and from that downwards to theclay, the upper stratum being improper for the purpose, and istherefore thrown aside.
Before the introduction of the plan which is now pursued, twomethods chiefly were employed to gain land from the moss.1st, The surrounding farmers marked off yearly a portion of thelow moss next adjoining their arable land, of about fifteen feetbroad. They removed the moss with carts, and spread it uponsome acres of their arable land- left vacant for that purpose, whereit was afterwards burnt and ploughed into the soil as manure.By this means each farmer added about half a rood * of arableland yearly to his farm. But this plan did not succeed ; as, bythe repeated application of these peat ashes, the soil at lengthbecame so loose, that the crops generally failed. 2 dly, Manyformers attempted to trench down the low moss, and to cover itfurrow deep with clay dug from the bottom of the trench. Thisproved likewise unavailing ; because in a dry season the superfi-cial covering of clay retained so little moisture that the cropcommonly failed. It has even been attempted to cover the mosswith clay brought from the adjacent grounds; but, owing to thenecessary impoverishment of the ground from which the clay wastaken for this purpose, and the softness of the moss, this planwas soon found to be impracticable.
Draining has also been proposed as another mode of improve-ment ; and assuredly, by means of draining, many mosses havebeen converted into valuable arable and meadow grounds. But,in a moss like this of Kincardine, this method would be ineffec-tual ; as it is of such a nature, for several feet deep, that uponbeing laid dry and reduced to tilth, it would blow with the windlike chaff. Even when thrown aside, in the operation of diggingpeats, to get at the inferior stratum, it lies for years without pro-ducing a single vegetable, except a few plants of sorrel. Henceit is evident, that all- attempts to improve this moss, must everprove abortive ; and that the object to be had in view, is the ac-quisition of the valuable soil underneath; to which end nothingless is requisite than the total abolition of the moss by removal.By the methods above described, from 100 to 200 acres of mosshad been removed before the introduction of the present plan,and from 1300 to 1400 acres of carse clay still remained cover-ed with moss,—a treasure for which it must ever be interestingto dig.
The late Lord Karnes entered into possession of the estate ofBlair-Drummond in 1766. He had been long acquainted with
* Somewhat less than l-7th part,of « statute acre..