1921.] The Improvement of Peaty Soils. 1105 



the fen soils — including this one — respond to potash and also to 

 nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia ; others do not, however, 

 on the so-called clay fen in the western side of the region. 



Any farmer in the fens having small derelict areas in his 

 possession would be fully justified in reclamation. Some of the 

 Cumberland peats seem to resemble the fen soils in that they 

 do not markedly respond to lime; they benefit, however, by 

 dressings of slag. 



The low-lying Peats. — Like the fen soils, these require drain- 

 age before anything can be done, but in addition they require 

 large dressings of lime as, unlike the fen soils, they are strongly 

 acid. When the work is properly carried out reclamation is quite 

 a feasible and often a profitable process. Two general methods 

 are in use : — 



(1) The land having been drained, ameliorating substances 

 (such as lime, artificial manures, &c.) are added and the peat is 

 cultivated as if it were normal soil. 



(2) The peat is removed and sold, and if the climate allows, 

 the underlying formation is drained if necessary and then 

 either — 



(a) Ploughed up; 



(b) Covered with town refuse and then cultivated; or 



(c) Warped, i.e., systematically flooded with tidal water 

 carrying silt till several feet of soil have been formed ; this 

 is possible only in a few areas, e.g., Lincolnshire, lying 

 below high-water level. 



The first of these methods is adopted in Ireland and on the 

 Continent : it is much investigated at the Experimental Stations 

 at Jonkoping (Sweden), Bremen (Prussia), Munich and at Arn- 

 heim (Holland). It has been tried at Wadfast Moor, Cornwall. 



Some of the Irish attempts have been described in thq 

 Journal of the Irish Department of Agriculture for 1915 by 

 Mr. Duncan. The problem is complicated by the existence of 

 more than one kind of peat, e.g., potash sometimes produces 

 marked effects, and sometimes does not ; before any important 

 reclamation could be carried out it is necessary to make a careful 

 study of the kinds of peat concerned. Two Scotch reclama- 

 tions are described in the Highland Society's Transactions for 

 1899.* 



The Jonkooino: experiments are carried out under the able 

 direction of Professor von Feilitzen, and are described in the 

 reports issued by the Swedish Society for Moor Culture.! 



* Vol. ii, p . 150. 



f Abstracts appear from time to time in the Jour. Board Agric. 



