One of the curious facts about peat is that though a peat-moss is one of the worst natural soils, yet broken-up and dried peat is excellent for Rhododendrons, for Orchids in stoves and greenhouses, and a great many other plants. Peat consists of very much the same substances as those that go to form leaf-mould. But the presence of humic and other acids, and the saturation with water and consequently the absence of worms, bacteria, and also of air, make it impossible for plants to grow in a peat-moss. Peat-moss due specially to the Cotton-grass rather than the Sphagnum moss is imported in great quantity from Holland, for use as litter for horses. We have in this country plenty of peat quite good for this purpose, but labour is too expensive for our home-grown peat to compete with the produce of Dutch moors. But that is by no means all the uses to which peat can be put. It is interesting to mention a few of them. 1. Peat is used as fuel. 2. Growing Orchids, etc. 3. Litter for poultry, cattle, and horses. 4. Food for cattle, etc., is made by rubbing the peat into small pieces and saturating with molasses. 5. Paper and a kind of felt can be made of peat. 6. Rugs and carpets can be made of peat-fibre. 7. String and twine. 8. Rough sacks and mats can be made of peat-fibre. Unfortunately, though all these things can be produced out of peat-fibre, it has never paid to manufacture them, and there are very few of the British peat-mosses nowadays where peat is even cut for fuel. It seems much more likely that the end of these peat-mosses will be to become either agricultural land or forest. Near Glasgow a large area of a useless peat-moss has been reclaimed and made to yield excellent crops, by using the refuse of the city. The disposal of such refuse used to be a most troublesome and expensive process, but now it is turned to good effect. It was suggested a few years ago that peat, which is not worth conveyance, should be burnt on the spot, and the energy transmitted by wires. That would be quite impossible, in at least four years out of five, over most of Scotland. CHAPTER XXIX NAMES AND SUPERSTITIONS Giving names the first amusement--Curious and odd names--A spiteful naturalist--The melancholy Bartzia--Common names--British orchids--Dancing girls and columbines--Susans--Biblical names--Almond, apple, locust--Spikenard--Tares--Effects of darnel--Daffodil--Acanthus leaf--Ghost-disturbing branches--Elder or bour tree--Its powers and medicinal advantage--Danewort--Mandrake--How to pull it up--The insane root--Its properties--Plants which make bones pink--The betel nut--Henna--Egyptian and Persian uses--Castor oil--Leeks, onions, and garlic--Ancient use of them. Man has always taken a certain pleasure in giving names to both plants and animals. It was, of course, a necessity to do this, but it is probable that people enjoyed the process as they do now.