GEOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS 



37 



1. Muck Pickel, G. M. Muck : Composition and Utili- 

 zation. Fla. Exp. Sta., Bui. 13. 1891. 



2. Muck Kept. Can. Exp. Farms, 1910. Kept, of chem- 

 ist, p. 160. 



3. Marsh mud Kept. Can. Exp. Farms, 1910. Kept, of 

 chemist, p. 137. 



Muck soils, while usually not of large extent, become of 

 extreme value when drained, especially if they are near 

 a good market. They are of particular value in trucking 

 operations, being adapted to such crops as onions, celery, 

 lettuce, and the like. Usually they must not only be 

 provided with drainage, but also be treated with fertili- 

 zers carrying phosphorus and, especially, potash. It is 

 also a good practice to start vigorous decay by the appli- 

 cation of barnyard manure, as the nitrogen carried by 

 muck soils is usually not very readily available to plants. 

 In many cases muck and peat may be underlaid at vary- 

 ing depths by marl, which is a soft, impure calcium 

 carbonate. Before and at the beginning of the organic 

 accumulation these basins were inhabited by Mollusca, 

 which at death deposited their shells on the bed of the 

 inclosure. These shells are now found in a more or less 

 fragmentary condition, usually mixed with sand and 

 clay and covered to a varying depth with peat or muck. 

 Such material, because of its richness in lime, is valuable 



