MUSKEG SOIL. 235 
Sample No. 2 is taken from the same locality as No. 1, 
but was taken at a depth of 2 ft. 6 in. below the surface. 
Sample No.3 isfrom a largemuskeg, natural state, taken 
just below the surface. This sample represents a raw un- 
drained muskeg which has never been brought under culti- 
vation. 
Sample No. 41s from the same locality as sample No. 3 
but was taken at a depth of 3 ft. from the surface. 
Sample No. 5is from the large muskeg west of No. 1, 
where it was drained but not cleared. The sample was 
taken just below the surface. 
Sample No. 6 is a muskeg soil cleared of moss in 1899, 
drained and plowed. The sample was taken just below the 
surface. 
Sample No. 7 is from a small muskeg, drained, cleared 
and partly grown over with grass; the sample was taken 
from a place where blue joint grew vigorously. 
Sample No. 8, muskeg from the same locality as No. 7, 
taken at a depth of 10 inches. 
Sample No. 9, muskeg from the same locality as No. 7, 
taken at a depth of 20 inches. 
Sample No. 10, muskeg from the same locality as No. 7, 
taken at a depth of 30 inches. 
From the description of the samples, it will be observed 
that there are represented muskeg soils in the natural state, 
No. 3; drained, No. 5; drained and cleared, No.1; drained, 
cleared and plowed. No. 6; and producing blue joint grass, 
Non. 
Difficulty was experienced in the sampling and prepara- 
tion of the soils for analytical operations because of the 
large amount of fibrous vegetable matter which they con- 
tained. Only a very small amount of fine earth was ob- 
tained. Analysis of the fine earthand of the fibrous material 
showed that there was practically no difference in the amount 
of volatile, principally vegetable, matter in each. Thecoarse 
fibrous material had practically the same composition as 
that which passed through a one-half mm. seive. 
All of the samples gave a decided acid reaction. At- 
tempts were made to determine the total and relative 
amounts of acid in the various samples. All of the known 
