Reclaiming part of Forest of Delamcrc. 
377 
General Remarks. — Under any circumstances the cost of marl- 
ing land will vary widely, according to the position and extent 
of the bed of marl and the facilities of transport. When the aid 
of a tramway is sought, undulations in the surface of the district, 
whether small or large, will tell heavily on the results obtainable. 
Delamcrc Forest presents less favourable conditions for the 
work than many other tracts of waste land in the kingdom. 
There is no great choice of pits, and these are limited in extent 
and sometimes covered with much useless earth ; the state of the 
labour market in the neighbourhood and the moist climate (for 
heavy rain interrupts the work) add materially to the cost of 
getting the marl, whilst the irregularities of the surface create 
difficulties and increase the wear and tear to an extent which 
cannot be easily computed. 
On the other hand, the proximity of important manufacturing 
towns creates a large demand for vegetable produce, which gives 
a special value to warm sandy soils when rendered capable of 
growing such crops. The items both on the debtor and creditor 
side of the account are, therefore, unusually large, and we must 
look to the balance if we would judge of the results. 
Even if this be not so considerable as more favoured spots 
could present, still a good work is done if the area of cultivated 
land in this kingdom is increased in a manner consistent with 
sound economy ; and, above all, an example is set and, it may be 
hoped, an impulse is given by the Crown, which private land- 
owners may follow up to greater advantage by the light of the 
experience already gained. 
Each of the three cases described had its own peculiar con- 
ditions calling for varied treatment. In Honslough the large 
proportion of marl to fee — and that fee was easily moved — the 
level nature of the land, and the shortness of lead, tended to 
keep down the cost ; but the marling proceeded at a slow rate, 
being all done by horses, and the cost of management continued 
longer. 
In Longridge and Plovers Moss some of these conditions were 
reversed. The marl pit was nearly a quarter of a mile from 
the nearest corner of the area, a large proportion of the leads 
exceeded two miles, and to the north they attained a distance of 
two and a half miles. 
The engine line, though selected and constructed with great 
care, had still an incline of 1 in 100 for nearly three quarters of 
a mile ; up which the load was to be drawn. Although here 
the train was at times reduced to eight waggons, the power of 
the engine was more severely taxed than has since been the 
case. The horse, or branch lines were likewise carried over 
very rough and undulating land in almost all parts of the area. 
