:208 



Reclamation of Moorland. 



[JUNE, 



establishment of a demonstration field is in such cases often 

 supported by lectures and excursions to improved hold- 

 ings, in order to convince the farmers of the advantages of 

 the methods proposed, and to enable action to be taken in 

 common for the improvement of the moor. 



The utilisation of peat either for burning or for the manu- 

 facture of peat moss litter is another matter which receives 

 great encouragement from the State. . 



Societies for the Promotion of Moor Cultivation. — There 

 are two important societies for this purpose in Germany and 

 Austria. The German society was established in 1883, and 

 at the beginning of 1908 had 944 members. It has exercised 

 a very important influence both in Germany and elsewhere, 

 and receives a sum of about ^950 annually from State and 

 provincial funds. It publishes a fortnightly Bulletin, assists 

 its members to buy manures, arranges experiments, and 

 generally acts as a centre for the encouragement of the cul- 

 tivation of moor, heath, and bog land in Germany. In 1904 

 it held an exhibition in Berlin, where everything con- 

 nected with the subject was displayed, such as implements, 

 manures, and industrial products. Specimen crops were also 

 shown, with samples of the soils on which they were grown. 



The Austrian society dates from 1900. It publishes a 

 monthly magazine (Die Osterreichische Moorzeitschrift) y 

 holds an annual course of instruction lasting about a week, 

 has a museum of specimens, gives advice, and otherwise 

 •endeavours to promote interest in the subject. 



Denmark. — The efforts of the societies and experimental 

 stations in Germany and Austria, which have been referred 

 to above, have been chiefly, though not entirely, directed to 

 the reclamation of moorland for agricultural purposes, either 

 as pasture land or for the cultivation of crops. In Denmark, 

 on the other hand, a good deal of attention has also been 

 given to planting this land with forest trees. 



The Danish Heath Society * was formed in 1866 to en- 

 courage the cultivation of the heaths of Denmark, and it acts 

 as the medium through which considerable sums of public 

 money are administered. The measures adopted by the 



* Journal of Irish Dept. of Agric. and Tech. Instr. , April, 1 909. 



