230 
Reclamation of Bog and Moorland in Galway. 
The experiment is not yet sufficiently advanced to say 
whether or not the reclamation of Tooreena will be a direct 
pecuniary success. One great point in favour of the undertaking 
is, that comparatively little money has been sunk in building. 
Land-improvers not unfrequently begin by putting up buildings 
at such a cost, that the chance of a profit is almost thrown away 
at the first step. The advice of Solomon is sound in agricultural 
matters still. " Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for 
thyself in the field ; and afterwards build thine house." There 
is every reason to anticipate great advantage from the system 
recently adopted of putting the drains much nearer together than 
they were at first. The benefit is not confined to getting rid of 
the excess of moisture ; the land is much improved by the soil 
thrown out from the bottom of the drain and spread over the 
surface. Over much of the 'moorland the drains are dug through 
2 feet of soil underlying the peat ; even where this subsoil is 
pure sand, it will mechanically improve the soil, but in many 
places it contains an appreciable quantity of clay that adds 
much to its value. The drains that are being cut in Green 
Mount, field No. 24, pass through 2 feet of peat, then through 
6 inches of " mother earth," a light-brown sandy soil, and then 
into a bluish-grey subsoil, of which a sample was taken and 
subsequently analysed by Dr. Voelcker with the following 
result : — 
General Composilion of sample of Subsoil dried at 212° Fahr. 
Organic matter and water of combination .. .. 3 "15 
Oxide of iron and alumina 12 ■ 62 
Lime "16 
Magnesia and alkalies "42 
Insoluble siliceous matter (fine sand and clay) .. 83*65 
100-00 
Dr. Voelcker remarks that the subsoil " contains merely traces 
of lime and, as far as I can judge, is poor stuff. It contains 
some clay, but its bulk is made up of fine micaceous sand. 
Nevertheless, it may be put with advantage upon pea'ty land, 
for even pure sand, and much more a mixture of sand and clay, 
will consolidate spongy peat land, and add mineral matters so 
much wanted in peaty soils." The quantity of soil to be spread 
over the surface will now be twice as great as it was before. 
Turf drains that were formed at Letterfrack nearly thirty years 
ago are still sound and unbroken ; they cost nothing for 
materials, while the labour can be obtained at a very low rate in 
almost unlimited quantity. No part of the outlay is likely to 
give a better pecuniary return than that which is spent in 
wagca, while one cannot but feel that the real benefit of the out- 
