Treatment of the reclaimed Bog-land of Whittlesea Mere. 207 
respectively ; and, an equal money value of each having been 
repeatedly tried, the results have been found in almost every case 
to be as nearly as may be similar. It is doubtful whether in the 
case of a rough bog just reclaimed and clayed, it is remunerative 
to go to much expense in artificial manures for the first year or 
two, and until the clay has become incorporated with the peat. 
Dr. Voelcker was consulted as to this, and inhisreplv he says, — 
" 1 fear you will not reap the full benefit from the artificials named 
in your note by applying them on peaty land recently clayed. 
When the clay has become more mellowed, these artificial 
manures would, no doubt, give you a much better crop than 
they are likely to produce on the land in its present condition." 
This opinion has been amply confirmed. On the more advanced 
land the benefit of the artificials named has been all that could, 
be expected, while on the more backward portion of the land, no 
results proportionate to the outlay have been realised. 
Last year, on the unclayed peat land, the difference in the 
yield of two fields of oats, one of which had 3 cwt., and the 
other 4 cwt. of superphosphate, was estimated at 12 bushels 
per acre. The fields lie near each other, are of precisely the 
same character, and their previous treatment had been nearly 
identical. 
Less than 4 cwt. of superphosphate, or its equivalent in 
phospho-guano has been found inadequate, whether for the corn, 
coleseed, roots and potatoes grown on the more matured land, or 
for the first two of these crops, which alone, as yet, it is thought 
prudent to grow on the more recently reclaimed bog. 
An acre or two of the more backward of the clayed land was 
tried last season with kohl-rabi, and with such good results, 
that more will be sown with the same useful kind of root this 
year. In another year or two it is to be hoped that potatoes 
may be ventured on, seeing that already, in the somewhat more 
advanced clay land, very good crops have been produced ; that 
of last season was at the rate of 8 tons per acre, the seed having 
been procured direct from Scotland, and sown with 4 cwt. of 
superphosphate to the acre. 
A strong recommendation by Dr. Voelcker, to use burnt clay 
largely for mixing with the peat and raw clay, has not as yet 
been carried out on a scale large enough to make it worth 
recording the results, but judging from the little that has been 
done, it seems probable that the advice " by all means burn the 
stiff clay extensively, for you cannot possibly get a better mate- 
rial in quantities for improving your peat land " will be found — 
subject to the cost of the operation — to be worthy of being 
acted upon. 
The 40 acres of unclayed peat-land, forming part of the farm. 
