98 



GENESEE FARMER. 



April. 



Swamp Muck as a Fertilizer. 



Messrs. Editors : — You desire my expe- 

 rience in regard to the value of Swamp Muck, or 

 Peat, as a fertilizer. I have never used decom- 

 posed muck to any extent ; and in regard to raw 

 muck ALONE, my experiments have been so re- 

 cent, tliat they are of little practical value. Yet 

 having given some attention to the subject, I will 

 ofier a few suggestions. 



The peat which I applied in the fall of 1845, 

 was taken from a depnsite, at the time imper- 

 fectly drained, varying in depth from four to 

 eight feet — a peat bog, so far as our excessive 

 climate, and the presence of hard water will ad- 

 mit. It was a dark colored, vegetable matter, 

 coarse and fibrous near the surface ; more com- 

 pact and soluble, and probably much more valua- 

 ble at a greater depth. There was an occasional 

 slight strata of marl, some recent shells, and rot- 

 ten wood. This we applied upon five acres, 

 working from four to seven feet in depth, at the 

 rate of one hundred and twenty two-horse loads 

 per acre. It was spread upon an old field of low 

 calcareous clay, subject occasionally to winter- 

 kill — skirted by swells of limestone shales, and 

 clay gravel. 



The above would seem to be a pretty heavy 

 dose. But the bog was then in the condition of 

 a saturated sponge, and we managed by digging 

 regular pits with barriers, to get about one half 

 of it below the water level. It has been ascer- 

 tained, that in this state four-fifths of the weight 

 consists of water ; consequently the application 

 was equivalent to thirty tons of dry muck per 

 acre. It was much reduced and dissolved by 

 the winter frosts; and in spring appeared like a 

 rich, alluvial deposite. The clover was unusu- 

 allly luxuriant. It was fallowed as usual, and 

 sowed to wheat in 1846. In the spring of 1847, 

 a severe season, the wheat, like other portions 

 of my crop on like soils, was badly spring-killed, 

 and infested with the fly. It looked miserably. 

 It improved, however, beyond expectation, and 

 beyond oiher like soils, tov^ards harvest. I es- 

 timated the product at 18 bushels per acre, of a 

 quality acceptable to our millers. My general 

 average was 27 i, being swelled by the product 

 of more favorable soils. The most visible effect 

 was upon the dry limestone shales; on these the 

 crop was better than usual This I expected, for 

 this soil dovours and converts coarse vegetable 

 matter into food for plants with great rapidity. 



So far then, this experiment setdes nothing 

 very definitely in regard to the value of muck. 

 And yet I have unabated confidence that it will 

 pay cost, having expected no very apparent im- 

 mediate results ; but that its ameliorating effect 

 would be distributed through twenty years or 

 more — the maximum efl'ect in about ten years. 

 Peat is very insoluble, and decomposes very slow 

 in the air. Yet I cannot doubt that in time it 



will be consumed by the oxygen of the atmos- 

 phere, and decomposed by the natural agents; 

 and that every portion of it will enter into the 

 organization of various plants ; be taken up by 

 pasturage, or conveyed into the barn yard, thus 

 increasing the general fertility and circulation. 

 In this case, a better estimate may be formed of 

 its value eight years hence; yet should the result 

 prove favorable, there may be objections to put- 

 ting out much upon so long a credit ; and as its 

 value in the raw state ipeems not to be well set- 

 tled, it may be more judicious to use decomposed 

 muck. Respecting the value of this, there 

 appears to be no peradventure. It seems con- 

 ceded by practical and scientific men here and 

 in Europe, that it is equal, weight for weighty 

 to barn yard manure. 



A. practical farmer, and member of the New 

 York City Farmers' Club, says, he has always 

 raised fine potatoes, free from rot, by the use of 

 muck, converted by a proper mixture of lime. 

 This corresponds with the fact, that the potatoes 

 raised last season by my neighbor, Hugh Mc- 

 Vean, upon a reclaimed muck marsh, and ma- 

 nured in the hill, are sound, although late plant- 

 ed, while those raised on uplands are generally 

 diseased. 



Probably the best solvent of muck is potash, 

 or unleached ashes. Professor Dana, (I think,) 

 says, that nine bushels compounded with a cord, 

 will make it equal to common manure. — In Eu- 

 rope manure is generally used to decompose it ; 

 in fact any thing that enters readily into spon- 

 taneous decomposition, communicating the fer- 

 mentation and heat to the whole compound, will 

 answer the purpose. 



The practice of charring or burning the peat, 

 and applying the ashes, about 20 bushels per 

 acre, has been extensively adopted in Europe ; 

 and for soils containing much inactive vegetable 

 matter, this may be the most judicious method. 



Whenever muck is applied in the raw state, 

 it shotild remain on the surface as long as may 

 be, exposed to the decomposing influences of the 

 atmosphere. Mixed with the soil, or used as a 

 top dressing, it is very congenial to the healthy 

 growth of fruit trees. For apple trees on dry 

 soils, deficient in lime, marl is better, as sup- 

 plying the lime, and retaining the moisture be- 

 yond any other material. 



I have a bog pen near the house, about 10 feet 

 square ; in this is put about 4 loads of peat, on 

 which we throw the soap suds and other ferti- 

 lizing liquids, adding from time to time more 

 peat. In this manner several loads of very fer- 

 tile compound is made each year, free from 

 weeds, and valuable for garden manure. A chief 

 advantage of this process, is, that the peat totally 

 fixes and neutralizes the offensive and unhealthy 

 aflluvia which arises when these liquids are al- 

 lowed to evaporate. In evidence of the quali- 

 ties of peat as a neutralizer, it has been stated 



