134 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



It will be noticed that Professor Johnson's determination 

 shows a little higher percentage of nitrogen in the dry muck 

 than those which I have presented ; but the difference is tri- 

 fling. Taking muck-beds as they are found in the Northern 

 States, it will be safe to assume that they hold on an aver- 

 age, in the absolute dry condition, about two pounds and a 

 quarter of potential nitrogen in each hundred pounds. 



The following table gives the results of the analysis of 

 five specimens of muck, showing the amount of water, or- 

 ganic matter, and ash, contained in each : — 



In No. 5 will be noticed a very great dissimilarity of com- 

 position from the others. This specimen was taken from the 

 bare bed of Plug Pond, in Haverhill, Mass., and in appear- 

 ance is densely black, fine, and "well calculated to deceive." 

 From this bed a neighbor had taken many hundred cart- 

 loads at great expense for use upon his farm. It is a 

 specimen typical of usual pond deposits, which are largely 

 employed in agriculture all over the Northern States. They 

 are worthless specimens. 



No. 1 is the sample from my farm, from which the nitro- 

 gen determination was made, as given above. The amount 

 of lime contained in the ash (not given in table) is 1.7 in 

 the dry state. It is fully decomposed, dark, and every way 

 of excellent quality. 



No. 2 is the sample from Plaistow, N.H., and contains a 

 less amount of water, a larger percentage of ash and organic 

 matter, than No. 1, but is of very good quality. 



!No. 3 is from Boxford, contains about the same amount of 

 water as No. 2, much less ash, and more organic matter. 

 The nitrogen contained in the last specimens has been given 

 above. 



No. 4 is from a large basin called " Sour Meadow," on the 

 margin of Lake Kenosa, in Haverhill, Mass. This specimen 

 holds nearly ninety per cent of water, and has but one per 



