A prudent proprietor, before he begins expensive improvements, will do well to have his wastes carefully examined. The soil and subsoil, and the situation of the springs, should be carefully ascertained by boring in different places to the depth of five or six feet. It will thus appear whether any portion can be readily converted into amble land, or improved as pasture, or whether plantations of trees may be safely made. The division of the waste into fields by deep ditches will often be sufficient to lay them dry ; if not, recourse must be had to draining. In the humid climate of Great Britain and Irelaud, the water which falls in rains in the winter half of the year is always more than is necessary for healthy vegetation, and ditches are generally indispensable to keep the surface dry. The convenience of enclosures for pasturing cattle and sheep to advantage, added to this, has made the division of wastes by ditches and banks an invariable preliminary to cultivation. Expel'. Dive draining may not always be expedient, where the soil is naturally poor; but wherever there is sufficient loam, either immediately under the peat or mixed with it, and lime can be obtained at a moderate cost, the soil may always be brought into cultivation, and will fully repay any judicious outlay of capital.
In many situations on the slopes of hills, or in the valleys, good earth may be found at a moderate depth, which, being carted on the moor, will materially improve the surface, It should be carted out in the beginning of winter, and spread over the surface an inch or two deep. It should be left so a considerable time, especially if there is any appearance of ochre or iron in the earth. The exposure to the air and rain will convert the hydrate or carbonate of iron Into an oxide, and thus render it innoxious. The earth also will absorb fertilising portions of the atmosphere, and be much improved. It may then be ploughed in with a shallow furrow, and incorporated with the natural soil by harrowing. A small quantity of lime and manure will bring
this mixture into productive state.
There are many moors which, although incapable of profitable im provement as arable land, may, at a comparatively small expense, be much improved as pasture for sheep and cattle. The principal means of effecting this are, judicious draining by ditches, and enclosing the fields with banks or stone walls, both as shelter for the stock and for convenience of feeding. The heath may be burnt and the ashes spread about, and the surface having been scarified to the depth of a few inches, some grass-seeds suited to the soil and climate may be sown. The surface will soon show a manifest change by the increase of green patches, and a subsequent liming will complete the improvement. When the health of the stock, as well as the increase of feud, is taken Into the account, it will be found that such an improvement of moor land soon repays the outlay.
When the surface of the ground is very uneven with protruding rocks, interspersed with large stones, the only improvement which can be undertaken is to plant trees, chiefly of the fir or pine tribe, which will grow well if put in judiciously. The plants should be of the last year only, and the ground where they arc to be planted should be well examined to find out whether there is a moor-band or rock below. The first must be broken through, which may • be done by trenching or by means of heavy pointediron bars thrust into the ground with considerable force, wherever a plant is put in. If there is a rock below with six inches of earth over it, provided it be not of a very compact and solid nature, the fir-trees will grow rapidly, and the roots will find crevices to strike into. A plantation should begin in a sheltered spot, and it may be enlarged every year towards the more exposed side. Thus even the highest and bleakest hills may iu time be covered with wood, and, if properly managed, cannot fail to be profitable.