234 NORTHEAST EXPERIMENT FARM. 
way but experience shows that unless so dry that it is apt 
to burn holes, the damp moss will not burn off evenly and 
not at allin a wet season. Ifit is kept up for several years, 
burning may finally get rid of the moss on drained portions. 
To remove the moss mechanically as was done on a portion 
of the swamp on the experiment farm requires an outlay of 
about $75.00 per acre. Granted that these swamps will 
grow grass, it isa question whether it will pay to try to 
subdue them for that purpose. But if in addition the ulti- 
mate result is doubtful, it becomes an economic mistake to 
expend any energy on their reclamation, which might be put 
upon clearing land of which there is no doubt. These facts 
are not given atrandom. The experiment farm has worked 
for seven years upon a small muskeg, ten acres inextent. A 
portion of the swamp has been drained since’96 and another 
piece since 98. On both pieces the moss was stripped off 
after failing to get rid of it by burning. A horse and three 
pronged hook was used to tear up the tough bunches of moss 
and shrubs and haul it off. The ground was broken and left 
to rot. But after three and five years respectively the 
swamp has not been gotten into tame meadow. It would 
be unsuitable for any other crop but hay in any case on ac- 
count of its coldness and loose texture. The conclusion 
founded on these facts is that it will not pay farmers to buy 
or try to subdue these muskegs, and loose general statements 
drawn from experience in other sections will not be accepted 
as proof to the contrary. 
To more thoroughly investigate the character of these 
soils, ten carefully selected samples were sent ‘to the chemist 
of the Experiment Station at St. Anthony Park, his official 
report is herewith submitted. 
REPORT ON COMPOSITION OF MUSKEG SOILS. 
Ten samples of muskeg soil were submitted to complete 
chemical analysis.. The samples were taken tn the fall of 
1902 by Superintendent Chapman by whom the following 
description of the samples is given: 
Sample No. 1.—From a large muskeg; a strip was drain- 
en in ’97 and cleared of moss and shrubs in 1900, and the 
sample taken just below the surface. 
