SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 369 



er this slag can be obtained at present in the United States at a 

 price sufficiently low to justify its use for this purpose. A dressing 

 of lime (30 to 40 bushels per acre), followed by an application of 

 a mixture of kainit or muriate of potash with some cheap phosphate, 

 such as fine-ground Florida phosphate, may be substituted for the 

 slag mixture. The untreated mineral phosphates have been used 

 with advantage on muck soils, the decomposing organic matter assist- 

 ing in rendering the phosphoric acid available. 



Covering bogs with a layer of sand or gravel 4 to 6 inches thick 

 has been successfully practiced in Ireland and European countries, 

 but it is doubtful whether this method is generally applicable in the 

 United States. 



Oats, potatoes, and buckwheat have been found to thrive better 

 than wheat or clover on recently reclaimed bogs. The grasses gen- 

 erally have been successfully grown on such soils, and, as already 

 stated, they seem to be well adapted to celery and onions and are ex- 

 tensively used for the growth of these crops. In Europe sugar beets 

 are grown with good results on such soils. (F. B. 78; F. B. 366; 

 Fla. E. S. B. 93; Press B. 100.) 



THE NEEDS OF MARSH SOILS. 



When compared with upland clay loam or sandy loam soils, 

 marsh soils are found to differ from them in several important ways, 

 both physically and chemically. Physically, they lack drainage and 

 are usually cold and in their undrained condition are subject to 

 frosts. The peat marsh soils are often too loose to form a good seed 

 bed for many crops. Chemically, they are characterized Dy exces- 

 sive amounts of vegetable matter and often are deficient in mineral 

 elements. 



Marsh soils have certain drawbacks, but also some important 

 advantages as compared with upland soils. When they occur in 

 considerable areas they are more easily cleared than cut-over timber 

 land and, being free from stone, can be brought under cultivation 

 at much less expense than the upland soils, even though drainage is 

 necessary. For this reason the marsh lands should be developed as 

 soon as possible and used for producing pasture and hay for winter 

 feed. 



While marsh lands all need drainage and are excessively rich 

 in organic matter, they differ radically from each other in several 

 respects, and it is important that these differences be distinctly recog- 

 nized. Many marshes will prove highly productive while others 

 are of very much less value. On account of these differences marsh 

 soils require different treatments, and it is of the utmost importance 

 that persons operating such lands understand their character as fully 

 as possible. The most important factors to be considered in the 

 management of marsh soils are: (1) drainage, (2) preparation of 

 seed bed, (3) use of manure and other fertilizers, and (4) the se- 

 lection of the proper crops to be grown. 



The first step in the development of any marsh land is to drain 

 it. In the case of large areas this will require the construction of 

 large main ditches, requiring the use of a dredge, and co-operation 



