BOGGY LAND 147 



tion, so that in twenty years' time it would be worth 

 a further 55. or so per acre. In many cases the chief 

 obstacles to the acquisition of land of this type are 

 the existence of common rights, often of the smallest 

 value to the commoners, and in the Eastern Counties 

 the high value attached to the land for sporting pur- 

 poses. 



(4) Low-lying Moor and Bog. — ^A few areas exist in 

 this country where the land is water-logged and is 

 covered by a thick accumulation of peat. Such are 

 the carrs and moors near the mouth of the Trent, 

 and a few inland areas like the Bog of Tregaron in 

 Mid Wales and Otmoor in Oxfordshire. The reclama- 

 tion of land of this type has been very thoroughly 

 studied in Holland and Germany, and in Friesland and 

 North Germany flourishing colonies of small arable 

 farmers may be seen on such moors that formerly 

 carried only a crop of rough grass. As the reclama- 

 tion depends upon thorough drainage the scheme has 

 to be a comparatively large one in order to deal with 

 all the sources of incoming water or to straighten and 

 deepen the river channel so as to lower the water 

 level on the drowned land. When the surface is dry 

 the deficiencies in phosphoric acid and potash, and 

 often in lime, have to be repaired as on the heath 

 land, but the accumulated vegetation provides a great 

 asset in the shape of nitrogen which becomes available 

 when the mineral salts are supplied, so that the re- 

 claimed lands carry good crops. Sometimes it is 

 remunerative to remove the lower layers of peat for 

 fuel, and it is often desirable to bring a layer of earth 

 or sand to the surface. The cost varies with each 



