6 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



too loose and too light to maintain any high-growing crop in position, 

 thus corn and even the small grains are liable to fall down and become 

 lodged. 



Moreover, the Peat is sufficiently fibrous to absorb large amounts 

 of water, which it holds tenaciously within its own cellular structure 

 at the expense of the growing crop. For these reasons, chiefly, the 

 reclamation of Muck for agricultural uses has been more successful 

 than that of Peat. 



Differences in the agricultural values of the reclaimed areas also 

 occur among muck deposits. It has been noticed that those deposits 

 encountered within swampy areas underlain by limestone rock or 

 where a large proportion of the accessory mineral matter within the 

 muck itself has been derived from limestone are the areas which have 

 given the most profitable returns under agricultural occupation. It 

 may be that the limestone is necessary to counteract the effect of the 

 organic acids formed through the decay of the large amounts of organic 

 matter, or it may be that the organic matter itself exists in different 

 forms, better suited to agricultural purposes, when an excess of 

 lime is present. At any rate the beds of Muck which occur in 

 limestone regions or which overlie deposits of calcareous marl are 

 those which have been most successfully used for the production of 

 many of the general farm crops and for the growing of the majority 

 of special crops. 



Another general rule, which has some exceptions, is that the areas 

 of Muck which are underlain at a depth of 2 feet or more by a subsoil 

 of clay or heavy loam are more durable under tillage than those which 

 are underlain by deposits of loose sandy loam or sand. 



Peat when reclaimed is chiefly valuable for the growing of special 

 vegetable crops, while muck possesses as great a value for these pur- 

 poses and at the same time may be used for the growing of many of 

 the general farm crops in regular rotation, notably corn, potatoes, 

 and timothy hay. 



Frequently the desirability of reclaiming a given area of Peat or 

 Muck will depend almost exclusively upon the accessibility of markets 

 for the special and highly valuable crops which are grown to best 

 advantage upon these soils. A very valuable area of Muck, so far as 

 the volume of its production is concerned, might be so located as to 

 possess no available market for its products. 



All of these considerations must be borne in mind when the recla- 

 mation of any particular area of either Peat or Muck is under con- 

 sideration. They are quite as essential as the engineering features 

 of the reclamation. 



