CONVERSION OF BOG.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 April 1929, Page 6

CONVERSION OF BOG.

INTO FERTILE LAND. PLAN EOR LEWIS ISLAND. Two hundred and fifty (square miles of barren peat-bog in the island of Xi-ewiSj one or the Jttebrides * oii : the coast of Scotland; are promised conversion into fertile agricultural' land by a. scheme disclosed by T. 13. Macaulay, president of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Mr Macaulay’s parents went from t Stornoway, Lewis island, to Canada, and he has made several gifts to their native town. In an interview in London, where he has been on a visit, Mr Macaulay said lie had about 20 acres of peat land growing fine crops on liis Canadian farm. Sir Robert Greig, chairman of the Scottish I3oard of Agriculture, had visited the farm, and asked if it was the same peat as existed in Stornoway. ‘T told him it was, but more fibrous and therefore less useful for agriculture,” said Mr Macaulay. “1 was able to add that, nevertheless, by draining and removing the top surface the peat land had been made into the most productive on my farm. The French Canadians have thousands of acres of land like it. They call it ‘black-land.’ “Sir Robert saw the importance of this discovery, and has since been conducting experiments at LocharMoss, near Dumfries. “He now believes that with draining the Lewis Island peat soil can be I made as productive as mine. “There are about 1000 square miles lof land in Lewis, of which 950 are worthless at present. Suppose, we could out of that save 250 square miles —I believe we could reclaim at least 400 square miles—then you have a bit of agricultural land 2d miles by 10. “All kinds of root and leaf crops flourish on the soil. Vegetables of every kind grow on it, and the hay crop, is splendid.”