THE CHEMISTRY OF BOG RECLAMATION. 203 



practical efforts, either as capitalist, laborer, or teacher, pro- 

 motes the reclamation of the soil of Ireland, or otherwise de- 

 velops the sadly neglected natural resources of the country. 



With Mr. Mitchell Henry's permission I append to the 

 above his own description of the results of his experiment, 

 originally communicated in a letter to the Times ; at the same 

 time thanking him for his kind reception of a stranger at Kyle- 

 more Castle, and the facilities he afforded me for studying the 

 subject on the spot. 



" The interesting account you lately published of the exten- 

 sive reclamations of His Grace the Duke of Sutherland, under 

 the title of * An Agricultural Experiment,' has been copied into 

 very many newspapers, and must have afforded a welcome re- 

 lief to thousands of readers glad to turn for a time from the 

 terrible narratives that come to us from the east. If you will 

 allow me, I should like to supplement your narrative by a rapid 

 sketch of what has been done here during the last few years, 

 on a much humbler scale, in the case of land similar, and some 

 of it almost identical, with that in Sutherlandshire. 



11 The twelve corps d'armee under the duke's command, in 

 the shape of the twelve steam-engines and their ploughs, 

 engaged in subduing the stubborn resistance of the unreclaimed 

 wilds of Sutherlandshire, suggest to the mind the triumphs of 

 great warriors, and fill us with admiration not always excited 

 by the details of great battles ; but, as great battles can be 

 fought seldom, and only by gigantic armies and at prodigious 

 expense, so reclamation on such a scale is far beyond the op- 

 portunities or the means of most of us ; while many may, per- 

 haps, be encouraged to attempt work similar to that which has 

 been successfully carried out here. 



" And, first of all, a word as to the all-important matter of 

 cost. Does it pay ? 



" Including farm-buildings and roads, the reclamations here 

 have cost on an average 13 an acre, which, at 5 per cent., 

 means an annual rent-charge of 13s., to which is to be added a 

 sum of from Is. to 36'., the full annual value of the unreclaimed 

 land. It is obvious that if we start with an outlay of 30 plus 

 the Is. to 3s. of original rent, such an amount would usually be 

 found prohibitory ; but, on the other hand, excellent profits 

 may be made if the expenditure is so kept down that the an- 

 nual rent is not more than from 15s. to 18s. per acre. Before 

 entering into further details, let me say that I claim no credit 

 for originality in what has been done. The like has been 



