NATURE OF SWAMP-MUCK. 135 



cent of asli. It is not well decomposed, having fragments of 

 leaves, grasses, etc., in the mass. The five samples have been 

 selected with the view of presenting the extremes of varia- 

 tion in muck-beds which are drawn upon by New-England 

 farmers for agricultural purposes. It is now possible to pre- 

 sent a clear estimate of the value of the nitrogen in the best 

 specimens. No. 1 from my farm-meadow contains in each 

 ton (two thousand pounds) of water-free muck forty-nine 

 pounds and four-tenths : this at fifteen cents (a fair price) 

 gives a money-value of seven dollars and fortj^-one cents 

 for the nitrogen. The value of all the mineral and nitroge- 

 nous plant-food it contains may be stated as follows : — 



Xitrogen $7.41 



Lime 30 



Other salts 10 



$7.81 



The cost of procuring one ton of absolutely dry muck 

 may be understood from the fact that ten tons of the wet 

 mass is required, estimating the water at ninety per cent ; 

 which is a fair average for successive seasons. A ton of wet 

 meadow-muck of best quality is thus shown to have a value 

 of seventy -eight cents as fertilizing material for farm-crops, 

 estimating its mineral plant-food constituents as we estimate 

 that f(.;nnd in cow-dung. 



ANALYSIS OF COW-MANURE. 



With the view of affording a comparison of muck with 

 fresh dung, a sample taken from my barn-stalls (the drop- 

 pings from cows in milk) is here presented. It contained of 



Per Cent. 



Water 81.08 



Organic matter 15.96 



Ash 2.96 



100.00 



The result of this examination may appear somewhat star- 

 tling, inasmuch as it shows that the fresh cow-dung from the 

 barn contains more water, and less organic matter and ash, 

 than is found in the muck on the farm forty rods distant. 

 It would appear (other things being equal) that the muck is 



