850 BOTANICAL SURVEY OF DISMAL SWAMP REGION. 



ORGANIC MATTER. 



The accumulation of partially decomposed vegetable matter in this 

 area is quite remarkable, being more than :5 meters (10 feet) in depth 

 over considerable areas. With Congo-red test paper it shows a 

 strongly acid reaction. It is the product of many centuries of vege- 

 tation, laid down little by little with practically no disturbance, so 

 that there is only the slightest trace of soil in much of it. Upon 

 ignition at a low red heat H4 per cent, of it, passes off as combustible 

 material. Two leading types of vegetable deposits are easily distin- 

 guishable— those of the "Juniper" or "light" Swamp and those of 

 the " Black Gum" or "dark" Swamp. 



The first, a true peat, is found in the extensive tracts which are or 

 were covered with the "juniper" or white cedar. Here the maximum 

 thickness of the deposits appears to be about 3 meters (10 feet). 

 Decomposition lias progressed very little in this case. The peat con- 

 sists of a reddish-brown mass of stringy consistency and is composed 

 in great, part of the wood, bark, and Leaves of the "juniper." Owing 

 to the antiseptic quality of the water, logs and even stumps in situ 

 are so well preserved in tins peat that when exhumed they often 

 make valuable timber. When juniper land is cleared and drained 

 the surface peat has a strong tendency to "cake" and harden beneath 

 the sun's rays until it resembles charred Wood. Consequently, juni- 

 per land is considered practically worthless, and its successful cul- 

 tivation would undoubtedly entail a very lieavy preliminary outlay. 

 While peat is used in the northern countries of Europe as fuel, all 

 attempts to bring it into use in this count ry have been failures. Peat 

 has a very great power of holding water. Keing much like a sponge 

 in texture, it will hold from two to ten limes its own dry weight of 

 water. Wet peat upon losing its water and becoming dry usually 

 contracts to one-half or even less of its former volume. In New Eng- 

 land peal is used in the compost heaps, and in this way becomes a 

 manure of considerable value. The amount of plant food it contains 

 is often small, but varies much with the nature of the vegetation from 

 which if originated. The peat of the Dismal Swamp being largely 

 from trees ought to be fairly valuable. Its greatest usefulness, how- 

 ever, will probably be in the physical effect that it will produce in the 

 soil. Many soils are sadly deficient in humus, and for supplying this 

 peat will do quite well. It is a question if much of this peat of the 

 swamp could not be economically used on the very sandy truck farms, 

 many of which are located within a short distance of the swamp. The 

 principal part of the transportation could be cheaply made by water. 

 The value of peat for this purpose could be experimentally determined 

 at a very small outlay. 



The second type of deposited vegetable matter has been laid down 

 in those port ions of the morass, especially around Lake Drummond, 



