429
for promoting its fertility. For as the difcovery of the truth wasthe motive for commencing this Inquiry, fo, the ftridteft regard totruth has been obferved in the profecution of it, and giving a candid,report of the refults. As it is not here intended to give a formaltreatife on the culture of peat-mofs, this piece (hall now be conclud-ed, by hazarding anfwers to fome important queries regarding thatfubftance.
Query i st. What is the caufe of the hollility of peat-roofs tothe produdlion of cultivated plants ?
Answer. It appears, from this inquiry, that they are the fol-lowing:— tst, The elaflicity of the fibres holds them at a diftancefrom one another, and leaves room for a great quantity of ftagnantwater to lodge, which is, from its fituation, of a very cold temper-ature ; and in this the feeds of land plants cannot germinate, nor theirroots extend : 2dly, The diffolution of mofs is fo (low, and the dif-folved matter fo foon loft in the excefs of furrounding water, that itcould afford no nouriftiment to land plants, even though their rootswere eftablifhed. Hence the propriety of commencing the improve-ment of this fubject by draining, to be immediately followed by ap-plications proper for making it more compact.
Query 2d. Is there any practicable mode by which thefe de-feats can be correfted ?
Ansxoer. The great exccfs of water toward the furface beingCarried off, an important change will be operated on mofs, by theapplication of putrefcent fubftances. Thefe coming in contaft withthe vegetable filaments of which mofs is compofed, overcome theirrefraftory nature, decompofe a part, and not only furnish ampleftore of vegetable aliment, but, by accelerating putrefadtion, contri-bute fomewhat to the confidence and folidity of the fubftance. Butit has been already obferved, that the demand for all the putrefcentmatter, liquid as well as folid, which can be colledted, is too ur-gent for the life of arable land t and the effidts of its application onfuch, is of too much importance to fuffer any part of it to be pru-dently ab ft rafted for the cultivation of mofs. The earths, there-fore, are the only probable fubftitute. The effedts of the mixtureof pure fand in the flower-pot No. 3. have been already noticed :and no perfon who has ever feen a peat-mofs, on which land-floodsoccafionally carried earth, even of the leaft fertile charadter, butmuft have obferved the effedts which it produced. The earths, byenveloping the filaments of mofs, decompofe them, and convert theminto vegetable aliment; and land plants are produced in place of thofewhich before covered the furface. Thus, poor earth in fome mea-fure performs the office of putrefcent manure upon mofs. It doe*more. When applied in fufficient quantity, it fills the interlaces,excludes the excefs of water in rainy times, retains moifture in dry,and communicates a greater degree of confidence, a better recep-tacle for the roots of cultivated plants. Since earth of fome kind