eet, per
minute.

A fourth man, the "Loader," puts the sods upon a wheel-barrow, always
two rows of six each, one upon the other, and--

A fifth, the "Wheeler," removes the load to the drying ground, and with
some help from the Bunker, disposes them flatwise in rows of 16 sods
wide, which run at right angles to the ditch, and, beginning at a little
more than 10 feet from the latter, extend 50 feet.

The space of 10 feet between the plot that is excavating, and the drying
ground, is, at the same time, cleared of the useless surface muck by the
Bunker, in preparation for the next year's work.

With moderate activity, the five men will lift and lay out 12,000 sods
(3000 cubic feet,) daily, and it is not uncommon that five first-rate
hands get out 16,800 peats (4200 cubic feet,) in this time.

A gang of five men, working as described, suffices for cutting out a bed
of four feet of solid peat. When the excavation is to be made deeper, a
sixth man, the "Hanker," is needful for economical work; and with his
help the cutting may be extended down to nine and a half feet; i. e.
through eight feet of solid peat. The cutting is carried down at first,
four feet as before, but the peats are carried 50 feet further, in order
to leave room for those to be subsequently lifted. The "Hanker" aids
here, with a second wheel-barrow. In taking out the lower peat, the
"Hanker" stands on the bottom of the first excavation, receives the
blocks from the Diggers, on a broad wooden shovel, and hands them up to
the Loader; while the Wheeler, having only the usual distance to carry
them, lays them out in the drying rows without difficulty.

After a little drying in the rows, the peats are gradually built up into
narrow piles, like a brick wall of one and a half bricks thickness.
These piles are usually raised by women. They are made in the spaces
between the rows, and are laid up one course at a time, so that each
block may dry considerably, before it is covered by another. A woman can
lay up 12,000 peats daily--the number lifted by 5 men--and as it
requires about a month of good weather to give each course time (two
days) to dry, she is able to pile for 30 gangs of workmen. If the
weather be very favorable, the peats may be stacked or put into sheds,
in a few days after the piling is finished. Stacking is usually
practised. The stacks are carefully laid up in cylindrical form, and
contain 200 to 500 cubic feet. When the stacks are properly bui