Hellwegbr Bog. 



This bog has a depth of up to 25 feet. On parts where the peat 

 had been cut, and the upper layer only unfit for fuel, left on the 

 mineral soil, I found very flourishing woods of Oak, Spruce, and 

 Scotch Pine. On the uncut bog of an original depth of 24 feet, 

 where draining operations were commenced nearly 100 years ago, 

 and in the vicinity of a seitlement, I found very fine Spruce and 

 Oak woods. Both were about 42 years old, and the trees showed 

 the following average dimensions :— 



Spruce. — Height 54 feet, diameter = 12 inches, measured at 



4 feet from the ground. The trees were straight and in 



every way well grown. 



Oa^.— Height 45 feet, diameter = 16 inches, measured at 



4 feet from the ground, with clean boles up to 23 feet long. 



I also found Apple trees close by laden with fruit. 



All these trees were in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 settlement, on an area which had been drained for a considerable 

 number of years before the trees were planted. Cattle, pigs, 

 geese, and fowls, were constantly straying into these woods, so 

 that the soil had the benefit of their droppings. 



Here then is an instance which shows that good trees can be 

 grown on bog land which has been drained for some time, and 

 which has to some extent been manured. 



Of this bog an area of about 2,800 acres has been planted up 

 with forest trees. 



The depth of the bog ranges from 20 to 26 feet, and its com- 

 position resembled in every way the deeper bogs found in County 

 Galway. The surface is covered with heather, with here and 

 there a little grass. Under the heather lies a thin layer of humus 

 produced by the heather, then comes a layer of light yellowish 

 brown peat (used for the manufacture of litter), and this goes 

 gradually over into a darker mass, which is cut and used as fuel. 



The process of cultivation was as follows :— 



The area was drained, so that the ditches divided it in strips 

 30 feet broad. The ditches on each side of the strips were 2 feet 

 deep, while the main ditches were of sufficient depth to carry off 

 the water. During six years the surface layer of the soil was 

 lightly burned, and buck wheat grown. After the harvesting of 

 the sixth crop, the ditches were deepened to 3 feet, and each strip 

 was divided into two 15-feet broad strips by an additional ditch. 

 The soil taken out of the ditches was spread over the intervening 

 areas. Then forest trees were planted, especially Oak, Spruce, 

 Scotch Pine ; and later on also. Larch, Weymouth Pine, and 

 Austrian Pine, while Birch appeared in large numbers from seed 

 brought by the wind. 



The first forest plantation was made im 1868, so that it is now 

 twenty-seven years old ; the youngest is eight years old. 



