BOG 



iiiis effeft, witliout a communication above ground, by foak- 

 ing through a fandy or gravelly foil. And another caufe 

 that may contribute to the produftion of bogp, may be tlie 

 fall of a number of trees, which, by occafioning a ftagnation 

 in the v.-ater brought down from higher grounds, may cKufe 

 the dcpofition of much earthy vegetable, and other materials, 

 and confequently the produdliun of boggy appearances in 

 the places where fuch obllruftions are met with. 



Bogs are difcriminated by different titles, according to the 

 nature of thecircumftances under which they occur ; as pedi- 

 logs, q;iah\vg-hogs, fpr'mg-logs , anA turf- Logs. The firft being 

 that fort of bog wiiich is principally compof^d of peat -earth. 

 The fecond Inch a kind of bog as, when trodden upon, af- 

 fords an elallic kind of motion, or (haking under the foot. 

 The thiid is fiich a bog as arifes from the oozing or fpring- 

 ing up of water through the ftifF ftr.ita of materials on which 

 it is formed. Mr. Elkington, the celebrated drainer, makes 

 two clalTes of this fort of bog ; the firft of which is diftin- 

 guiflied by the fprings rifing out of the adjoining higher 

 grounds, in a regular line, along the upper fide of the wet 

 furfdce ; while, in the latter, the number of fprings that ap- 

 pear are not confined to one regular dircAion along the upper 

 ilde, bi!t burft oat promifcuoufly over the « holt furface, 

 cfpecially tovvurds the lowf-r fide, forming quagmires all 

 round, that fhake and bend under the feet like a fiifpended 

 cloth, over which it is dangerous for the lighteft cattle to 

 pafs, and which fn^w ihcnifclves at a dillancc by the verdure 

 of the grafs, which the quags or Ipots immediately round the 

 fprings produce. The lall is a lort of bog conllitutcd of 

 materials which partake of tlie nature of turf. 



Wherever bogs are met with, draming is unqueftionably 

 the firft ftep to be taken towards their improvement. For 

 tlie full accomplidiment of this purpoie, Mr. Elkington's 

 mode may in many cafes be fuccefsfully reforted to, and with 

 great and fudden efTett ; though the improver fiiould not be 

 too fanguine in his expectations, or imagine that it is in 

 every cafe an eafy operation to free this lort ot land from an 

 excefs of moifture. There are probably iome bogs which 

 cannot, without great difficulty, be drained at all ; and others 

 that would coft the value of the land, in drains and machinery, 

 to effeft fuch improvements in them. But m twithftanding 

 imrnccefbful trials may fometimes be made, the drainer ought 

 not to be totally difcouraged from further attempts, where 

 tliere is a tolerable profpetl of fuccteding in the bufinefs at 

 laft ; as the cafes are no doubt very numerous, in which this 

 fort of land may be tfieftually drained at an eafy expence, 

 and thereby brought from a Rate of inutility to yitld con- 

 fiderable profit to the owners aiid the public. See Draining 

 of Bcigg^ Lands. 



It is obferved-in the appendix to Mr. Johnfton's account 

 of Mr. Elkington's mode of draining, that in the improv- 

 ing of bogs, after their being drained, as the great objeft 

 is to get the ground brought to fuch a ftate, as to be fit for 

 being laid down with grafs feeds, when it may be confidered 

 in fuch a ftate of improvement, that any fubfequent crops 

 will require no more than ordinary management to cultivate 

 them; the firft thing to be done, where they are cxtenfive, 

 is to have them divided into proper enclofures by open ditches, 

 by which means much furface water may be carried off, as 

 well as by properly attending to the formation of the ridges 

 and furrows in ploughing, and giving them a direction to- 

 wards the open ditches, by which the rain or furface w-ater 

 may be difchargtd as it falls ; and after this has been effedl- 

 ed, to have the furface well levelled by means of the fpade, 

 as being in moft cafes more effeftual than by the plough. 

 The better forts of the materials thus removed may be mixed 

 up with lime or other fubftances, and fet upon the land ; while 



Vol. IV. 



BOG 



thofe of the coarfer kinds are made ufs of to fill up the in- 

 equalities on the furface. Paring and burning, where there 

 is much coarfe vegetable matter, may be praclifed with ad- 

 vantage. In order to this, whatever earth i-emains unem- 

 ployed, in filling up hollows, fiiould be burnt, together with 

 that taken out of the ditches, unlefs the latter has been al- 

 ready carried off for fuel. The greater quantity of afhes 

 there is, the greater wiil be the improvement of the foil itfelf, 

 and the more will the earth be benefited. The aflies, after 

 being well incorporated with the foil by means of light or 

 fuperficial ploughing, frequently fo enrich it, as to produce 

 excellent crops for two years or more. The etTccls of the 

 afhes and burnt materials have been laid, in fome eafes, to be 

 increafed by the addition of a little lime. When the turfs 

 have been reduced to afties, fpread ever the furface of the 

 ground, and turned in with a little funow, turnips or potat 

 toes ought to be the firft crop. If the form.er, they may be 

 fown broad-caft, and fed off by (heep, by the dung and urine 

 of which the foil will be greatly benefited, as well as by the 

 refule of the plants, and the confohdation produced by their 

 treading upon it. It will then be in a ftate for a crop of 

 oats or barley, which fliould be fown with grafs-feeds, and 

 well roiled down. The ploughing after the turnip crop, 

 thus eaten off, fliould be very flight, in order not to bury 

 the enriching materials too deep ; in which view oats ought 

 to be preferred to barley. It t!it foil be full of the roots of 

 rufhes, weeds, and coarle plants, a fumnicr fallow may be ne- 

 celTary before any crop be taken ; and when the afiits have 

 been made in a particular part of the field, they may be 

 fpread over the furface before the feed furrow is given, and 

 the roots and tough clods, after bei;ig collected and burnt, 

 may be fpread along with them. 



If the bog be very foft and deep of peat, fo as not to ad- 

 mit hovfcs for ploughing the firft year, a crop of turnips 

 broad-caft may be got by fowiv.g the feed among the fpread 

 afhes, harrowing it in with a light harrow and roller drawn 

 by men. This crop, being eat off as above, will leave the 

 land the enfuing year fo much coufolidated as to admit 

 the plough. 



^^'hen the fuiface has not been pared and burnt, fallow- 

 ing for two years may be reccffary to rtdnce the foil to 

 a proper mould, in the laft ftage of which the lime or oilier 

 manure muft be applied. In this cafe two white crops, 

 with an intervening one of turnips, potatoes, &c. may be 

 taken before the grafs-fecd- are fown. 



Boggy foil, of v.hatever kind, after being once broken up 

 and pulverifed by tillage and a courfe of fallow, .Oiould not 

 be over-cropped before being laid down in grafs; and, when 

 brought into a good fward of grafs, fhouid not be too foon 

 broken up again, but continue fo, bufti-harrowing and top- 

 drefFing it when the herbage begins to mofs. Repeated 

 rolling is alfo neceffary in fuch foils. 



It IS probably a better practice to feed fheep the firft and 

 fecond years of the grafs than to cut it for hay, a? it caufes 

 the roots of the grafs to flnke more horizontally through the 

 foil, and more clofely to cover the furface. With this view a 

 greater proportion of white and yellow clover, and othei' 

 fhort grafs feeds, fhouid be fown. 



In the manuring of foft boggy lands fonie caution is 

 neceffary ; for, though the ploughmgs, previoufly to the ap- 

 plication of the dung, may be made deep with advantage, 

 the fubfequent furrows ftiould be very fiip'jrficial, and the 

 dung regularly and uniformly blended with the foil ; for, 

 when this is not the cafe, it is apt to fink down too much, 

 and be of little utility. The fame thing takes place with 

 refpeft to lime ; and even when marie is buried too deep it 

 is faid to lofe its power as a manure. 



4U Oh 



