B O G 



On fuft bog-gy groiiiic'., mfrcly intended for pafliire, 

 tiothiii-; will produce a mori rapid impiovLinent than llie 

 applical'on of a- thin covcrinjj of marlf. In O'.dcr to this, 

 the directions already jriven, with refpect to paring and burr.- 

 ir.;;, (hould be obfervcd. 



'Marie, wliich is often found under a gravel or clay, mr^y 

 alfo be of preat fcrvicc; but if a loamy earth be near at 

 hand, it will, pcrliaps, be Icfs cxpenfive to the farmer to 

 bring fiich earth to cover the bog, than it will be to dig up 

 the clav. But of whatever kind the earth be v.hich is laid 

 upon the bog, the quantity fiiould always be fufficient to 

 cover its whole furface four, live, or fix inches deep, ac- 

 cordintr to the lliffncfs of the foil fo brought. 



Sea-fand, as being freqacntly mixed with (liells, is well 

 fuited to this purpofe, it the boggy ground be fituated near 

 the fea, fo that it can be Cufily procured. The great weight 

 of thefe materials tends equally to confolidate the bog, 

 and prefs cut the moillure from the fpongy peaty earth ; 

 therefore the thicker they are applied the better. A flight 

 fpriiikling of lime over it will add to the eflcft, and bring 

 up much white clover and other fwect graffes. 



Tiie moll barren earths or foils, v.hcn ufed in this way, 

 may have good effecls ; but lime-llone gravel, where it can 

 be procured, is to be preferred to all others. After the 

 land has been treated in this manner, and la'in fome years in 

 pafture, it may be broken up for tillage, and crops of grain 

 taken before being laid down with grafsfeeds. By plough- 

 ing, part of the natural foil will be turned up, and intimately 

 mixed with the eaith, &c. that has been laid upon it, and, 

 if lime or dung be added, will together form a very fertile 

 mould. When boggy grounds are much over run with 

 ruflies, and other coarfe, four, aquatic plants, fcarcely any 

 thing tends more to the liril part of its improvement than 

 that of over-Hocking it with ditFerer.t forts of cattle, as foon 

 as ever it is fiifficiently folid to bear them with fafety ; 

 care muft, however, be taken not to put them on till it is 

 quite firm, as if that be done they will not only poach the 

 furface, but the coarfe herbage will remain without being 

 eaten clofely down. The pradice of cutting the ruflies 

 frequently in tb.eir voung and tender Hate, is alfo of con- 

 fiderable utility. By thefe means alone a better kind 

 of herbage is fpeedily brought up, and much improvement 

 produced. 



Another confidei-able means of improving this fort of land, 

 where the fituation is fuch as to admit of it, or when it lies 

 near the fide of a large river or fiream, of which, by means 

 of proper dams and cuts, a command can be obtained, is 

 that of floating it with water, a procefs that, when judici- 

 oudy managed, never faili to produce abundant crops of 

 grafs. And that it is a mode of improvement well fuited 

 to this fort of land, is evident from the effects that have been 

 produced in different in dances ; and from the obfervations 

 of Mr. Bofwell, that it requires more and longer watering 

 than any fandy or gravelly ioil :. the larger the body of wa- 

 ter that can be brought upon it tiie better; its v.eight and 

 ftrength will greatly alTill in con-prclfuig the foil, and de- 

 llroying the roots of the weeds that grow upon it ; neither 

 can the water be kept too long upon it, cfpeeially in the 

 winter feafon, immediately after the after-matli is eaten ; 

 and the clofer it is eaten the better. The manner of con- 

 ducing the bufuiefs of watering muft be fuited to the cir- 

 cumilances of the particular cales. 



After being thus improved, it mufl; next be determined to 

 what huling purpofe it may be bell applied. Tiie too great 

 moillure of thefe foils, which always lie flat, renders them 

 unfit for continued tillage, and their mould becomes fo loofe 

 by frequent ploughing, that it frequently does not afford 



BOG 



fuflieicnt (lability to the roots of corn. For this reafou bar- 

 ley. oats, and rye do better here than wheat, wiiich requires 

 a firmer footing ; but neither of them fliould be fowed thick, 

 becaufe the fruitfuhiefs of the foil will always make up in the 

 fize of the plant.-, what fome might think wanting in their 

 number. I'he mod beneficial method cf employing this fort 

 of land is, undoubtedly, that of converting it into meadow, 

 becaufe, when thus prepared, and not injudieioufly exhauft- 

 ed by crops of corn, it will yield great quantlfes of excel- 

 lent grafs. It is, however, ufual to begin with fowiv:g fome 

 kind of grain on this prepared iurface, to indemnify the 

 farmer by the plentiful crop which it generally yields ; fuch, 

 indeed, as fometimes defrays at once the whole expence of 

 the improvement, In fome cafts the moft profitable method 

 may be to fow it in the autumn with rape, the leaves of 

 which fliading the furface in hot weather, and rotting in the 

 winter, contribute greatly to mellow the earth : the ftrong 

 roots of this plant open the foil too, and its feed brings a great 

 return when fold for making oil. One or two ploughing* 

 after this will prepare it for a crop of wheat. After this is 

 taken off, and the Hubble turned down, w'hite clover and 

 grafs-feed fiiould be fown, and the ground laid dov.-n for a 

 lafting meadow ; or if turnips be fcwn, or cabbages planted 

 in the autumn, thefe in the fpring may be fuceeeded by- 

 barley, with which the grafs-fecds may be fown. 



In crude moory or black peat boggy improved lands, Mr. 

 Marfliail remarks, that what is moil defirable is a crop that 

 is fovvn and reaped during the fummer months, and which 

 demands neither labour nor attendance in the humid feafons 

 of autumn, winter, or fpring ; and inch a crop is found in 

 rape, which is luckily natural to the climate, and at the fame 

 time highly profitable. Trials with this may be made at but a 

 trifling expence on a fmall portion of the ground, the proof 

 of which anfwering, it is obferved, " is not whether the 

 plant will thrive as herbage, but whether it will mature its 

 feed on the given foH in the given fituation." 



Afcer a recompence has been obtained by crops of this 

 fort, which may be repeated, as there is no danger of exhaufl- 

 ing fuch deep foils, the foundation of more lafting profits 

 is to be laid ; which may be effefled by fowing grafs-feeds, 

 with or over the rape crops, or after the ftems have been 

 drawn, according to feafons and the circumilances of the 

 land, flocking, as diredled above, till fuch time as the furface 

 becomes fufiiciently firm, and the foil has attained a fuitable 

 texture for mixed cultivation, which time may be much 

 fhortened by the apphcation of foflile fubftances of the cal- 

 careous kind in any period of the improvement. 



When either through neceflity, for want of other arable 

 land, or out of choice, the farmer intends to continue 

 ploughing his improved bogs, the furface muft be raifed in 

 ridges, and the further management of it may be like that 

 of moll other ploughed grounds. 



If a foil of this kind happens to be fituated near a town, 

 a greater profit may accrue from planting it with garden 

 ftuffsthan from any fort of grain, as beans, peafe, cabbages, 

 potatoes, turnips, carrots, &c. are found to tluive exceed- 

 ingly well in earth of this kind. 



Bog, moving or migrating. Thefe foft mafles of earth have 

 been fometimes known to move out of their place. An in- 

 ftance of this there was in Ireland, in the year 1697, about 

 Charleville in the county of Limerick. There was heard 

 for fome time a noife under ground like that of thunder at a 

 great dittance, or almoll fpent ; and foon after this the earth 

 of a large bog in the neighbourhood began to move, and a 

 hill or rifing fituated in the middle of it flood no longer 

 above the level of the reft, but funk flat. The bog not only 

 moved itfclf, but carried with it the neighbouring palture- 



lands, 



