Chap. XL Appendix, No. 6.

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in the middle, with a farrow between each, about a foot inbreadth, and six or eight inches deep. These ridges and furrowsought to be formed and kept at all times as smooth and regularas possible. If inequalities abound on the surface, the heightswill become too dry, and the hollows too wet to carry grain orcultivated herbage. The various fogs, or cryptogamous plants,which formerly grew on the moss, will rise on the low parts, andthe heights will be turned into something like the dross or offalsof a peat stack, on which nothing will grow. The ridges mustbe laid off in the most proper direction for the escape of water,with a moderate declivity, and the furrows laid open between allthe ridges, with the plough or spade, in order to relieve the sur-face of the redundant moisture with which all bent-moss, and in-deed the generality of uncultivated land, is overcharged. Tillthat is done, manure can do no good. The turf or peat-soil, cutfrom these furrows, and from any exuberant heights, must belaid into the low or hollow parts, to render them level.

After the surface is formed and drained, from 250 to 320Winchester bushels of hot lime ought to be laid on each statuteacre, and allowed to remain from nine to Jifteen months on thesward. If the surface is tolerably regular, the moss may be la-boured with the plough ; but if inequalities abound, it will bebetter to dig it the first year w'ith the spade, as the ridges can bethereby much better formed, and the moss dug up to a greaterdepth; operations, on which the success of the cultivation verymuch depends. Some persons plough the first year, and delvethe next; but as the spade, in that case, cannot go deeper thanthe plough had done, it is best to delve the .first year, and ploughthe second. The moss ought to be broken up for the first timein October or November, and in after years as soon as possibleafter the crop is cut, that it may get the full benefit of the win-ter’s frost, which acts powerfully in reducing it from peat to soil.If bent-moss, after being limed, is laboured earlier than Octoberor November, the grasses are apt to rise and injure the crop. Itwill be difficult to get the seed covered by the harrow in the firstyear ; and for that reason, the hoe ought to be used in part, asit cuts and divides the soiL , and consequently covers the seed bet-ter than the harrow. The roller ought to follow the hoe or har-row, as it assists to cover the seed, smooths the surface, squeezesup the moisture, and consolidates the spungy moss-earth, so asto prevent drought from penetrating, which is often injurious tothe growing crop on this kind of soil. In after years the mossought to be rolled a second time, or oftener, in May or the be-ginning of June.

Bent-moss ought to be cropped for three years on first break-ing up; and if one of these crops could be potatoes or turnips,so much the better. It will require at least three years to reducethe best moss into proper soil; but if the cropping is continued