Address to the Royal Geological Society of Ireland. 117 



We now pass to the Bogs. Of these, those most capable of 

 quick improvement are the fleet or flattish bogs in the mountain 

 valleys, and next to them the great Lowland or Red bogs ;* these 

 require different treatment, as their nature is, in some respects, 

 dissimilar. The former are usually more or less firm ; while the 

 latter have nearly always a soft upper stratum, often over six feet 

 in depth. These differences are due to their mode of growth ; the 

 red bogs accumulating almost entirely by organic growth and 

 decay; while during the growth of the flat bogs in mountain 

 valleys foreign peaty matter is drifted on to their surfaces, by 

 wind, rain, runlets, and the like. 



Ordinary vegetable soil is due to the growth and decay of 

 vegetable matter mixed with a nearly equal or a greater quantity 

 of mineral substance ; the latter being brought up from below by 

 earthworms and other burrowing animals, in addition to what is 

 carried on to the surface by wind, rain, and runlets, or by being 

 deposited from the atmosphere. But bog is a peculiar variety of 

 vegetable soil, as it is formed from excessive vegetable growth 

 and decaj^ due to superabundant moisture, and has in it little or 

 no admixture of foreign substances ; it is more or less like a 

 sponge saturated and swelled up with water. Therefore to im- 

 prove bog it is necessary to ged rid of the water, destroy its 

 sponge-like character, and add to the upper portion as much 

 mineral matter as will bring it more or less near to an ordinary 

 soil ; all of which must be done gradually. 



The mountain-valley flat bogs, being of tolerable consistency, 

 are usually easy of cultivation. Small holders of land ordinarily 

 mark off a patch of a size that they can " come at" or bring into 

 cultivation in the period of three or four years. This is fenced 

 round in the autumn or winter by a ditch, which " saps " or 

 " soaks " the bog, and in the spring a portion is laid out in beds 

 and planted with potatoes. With the potatoes, lime, if procur- 

 able, and farmyard manure are best ; but where seaweed is 

 plentiful it is much used, or " shell sand." Twenty -five years 

 ago the latter was a very favourite manure for " taking in" bog ; 

 and large fleets of boats were employed in dredging the sand in 



* The " red bogs" are very variable in character, son e being much worse than others. 

 In contradistinction to the typical " red bog," pastural portions are commonly called in 

 Ireland Baiin (anglice, white). 



