124 The Control oftlie Soil [pt. ii 



in Ireland. Unlike the fen soils they are sufficiently acid 

 to need lime or chalk. Two general methods of treatment 

 have been adopted : the peat is dug out and sold as fuel, 

 then the underlying ground is cultivated; or the peat is 

 ploughed and cultivated direct. Drainage is a first 

 essential. Oats, potatoes, buckwheat and many grasses 

 will grow well, but lime is needed for almost any crop, 

 and in many cases potash as well. 



The cultivation of this tj'pe of land has been reduced 

 to a fine art in Holland and Belgium, and companies 

 have been formed for the purpose of reclaiming areas 

 previously waste. The general method of procedure is to 

 drain, then plough deeply, to add sand or lime, leave for 

 a time to the action of the weather, then plough again, 

 add lime and the proper artificials, and finally harrow 

 down, when a good seed bed can be obtained. Where it 

 is proposed to keep animals (as will usually be done) it is 

 necessary to grow clover, and for this purpose f armj'^ard 

 manure is applied, preferably made into a compost with 

 good soil. It is probable that the benefit is due among 

 other things to the introduction of the clover organism 

 which is not normally present in peat soils. The success 

 of the reclamation demands a proper rotation and a 

 suitable scheme of manuring. 



3. High lying peat land. In the northern counties 

 there are considerable areas of moorland at high alti- 

 tudes which, however, seem wholly unsuited to cultiva- 

 tion. The rainfall is high and the winters are inclement: 

 drainage would be a serious difficulty. The few experi- 

 ments that have been made are not particularly en- 

 couraging and new methods of treatment would need 

 to be evolved to give any promise of success. 



