1112 The Improvement of Peaty Soils. [Mar., 



showed marked need for this fertiliser. Phosphates had striking 

 effects on turnips where lime was present, but not otherwise; 

 they also acted well on oats. With these results established it is 

 not difficult to draw up a scheme of manuring suited to the 

 rotation. 



The subsequent years, however, have shown that the original 

 scheme needs modification. A recent examination by the writer 

 showed that much of the vegetable matter was still undecomposed, 

 especially the roots and stalks of the common sedge, locally called 

 Carnation grass (probably Carex panicea*). But the worst fea- 

 ture is the high rainfall, which is between 80 and 90 inches per 

 annum, and is apt to be accompanied by high winds. One day 

 daring my visit I found it impossible to walk over the arable 

 land, although accustomed to rough weather and well protected 

 against the rain. For days afterwards no horses could get on 

 to the land. Oats therefore had not been a success; it had been 

 a sheer impossibility to sow them in time; nor indeed could 

 they have stood up against the wind and rain even if they had 

 been sown fairly early. 



The root crops on the other hand — swedes, turnips, rape — 

 were looking well where lime had been liberally used and could 

 still be found on the surface. Some of the roots were very fine 

 and the crop was probably about 20 tons per acre; but they were 

 a complete failure on two sections where the lime had been 

 ploughed in, and so carried below the surface. 



Cabbage might have succeeded, but they were liable to be 

 blown out of the ground. Finger and toe is unknown in any 

 of the crops. 



Grass also does well, and the sown grasses are so marked 

 an improvement on the wild vegetation that the cost of the 

 breaking up will no doubt be repaid by the increased value of 

 the herbage, even without taking any account of the arable 

 crops obtained. Cocksfoot is growing very vigorously, rye 

 grass also persists, and there is a fair take of timothy. 



The reclamation must be regarded as an experiment, the 

 results of which will not be certain for some years to come. 

 There is no similar case elsewhere so far as I know. The 

 lines appear to be sound. If the reclamation succeeds it will 

 open up considerable possibilities of future developments; and 

 if it fails after an honest attempt to carry it through, it will 

 have demonstrated the fundamental difficulty of cropping at 

 high altitudes. 



* In absence of flowers and seeds identification was impossible. 



