CROPS FOR MARSH LANDS 



Crops for Marsh Lands* 



305 



Crops 



Corn 



Hay 



Pasture 



Potatoes 



Winter 

 wheat 



Barley 

 Oats 



Rye 



Buckwheat 

 and flax 

 Cabbage 



Onions 



Celery 



Sugar beets 

 Peppermint 



Hemp 



Millet 



Soybeans 



and 



Cowpeas 

 Alfalfa 



Advantages 



Good yield and prices; labor 

 cost low 



Yield good; price fair; labor 

 cost very low 



Excellent pasturage; good re- 

 turns; moisture supply good 



Easy to plant, cultivate and 

 harvest potatoes on muck 

 and peat 



Good yield; price stable; labor 

 cost low 



Usually as profitable as oats 



Yield and price fair; labor cost 

 low; good feed 



Good value as feed 



Good to subdue tough sod; 



easy to grow 

 Possibility of good income per 



acre 



High yield and possibility of 

 very large income per acre 



Muck and well-decomposed 

 peat soils best for celery; 

 large income per acre 



Good yield and returns 



Muck and well-decomposed 

 peat best for peppermint; 

 possibility for very large in- 

 come per acre with moderate 

 amount of labor 



Good income per acre 



Grows well on marsh soils; can 



be sown late 

 Grow well on muck and peat; 



high feeding value 



Has been grown on well- 

 drained muck and peat; ex- 

 cellent feeding value 



Disad vantages 



Danger of frost in late spring 

 and early fall; weeds fre- 

 quently troublesome 



Quality of marsh hay sometimes 

 poor 



Sometimes injured by excessive 

 heaving during winter 



Market discriminates against 

 "muck " potatoes 



Frequently heaves badly in 

 winter; difficult to get firm 

 seed bed 



Danger of frost in spring and 

 lodging at harvest time 



Danger of frost in spring; fre- 

 quently lodges badly at har- 

 vest time 



Yield and prices usually low 



Danger of frost; subject to 

 blight on marsh lands 



Fluctuation in price; danger of 

 rotting; large labor require- 

 ments 



Great fluctuations in price; 

 weeds difficult to control; 

 large amount of labor re- 

 quired; insect enemies 



Large amount of labor required; 

 danger of blight and rotting; 

 price unstable 



Requires much labor; quality 

 lower than upland beets 



Demand very limited; fluctua- 

 tion in price great; expensive 

 equipment needed 



In some sections much skilled 

 hand labor required because 

 of lack of proper machinery 



Not the best of feed 



Inoculation necessary; strongly 

 acid soils should be limed 



Not a dependable crop; winter 

 kills; requires thorough drain- 

 age, lime and inoculation 



*With special reference to marshes in the Northern states, as regards frost. 



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