Canadian Foreslrij Journal, Maij, 1918 



1671 



acres of ^vaste land, two thirds to I'lo.OOO.OOO will have to be invested 

 be planted within the lirst forty in the project over a forty year period, 

 years. It is estimated that probably 



Farming Muck Lands 



Some Practical Suggestions Applicable to Clay- 

 belt Development in Ontario and Quebec. 



By Dr. B. E. Fernow^ 



In these days of movements to 

 make the extensive peat bogs of the 

 Dominion useful for fuel and to pro- 

 vide for the settlement on farms of 

 returned soldiers, it is of interest to 

 inquire also into the agricultural 

 possibilities of these muck lands. 



The first thing to realize is that 

 such lands are a specialty and a 

 specialized study of their nature and 

 their requirements must precede the 

 attempt at farming them. They are 

 a rich resource if properly treated, but 

 without this proper, special know- 

 ledge enormous waste of human 

 energy may be experienced in futile 

 attempts to farm them. Attempts 

 at settlement on these lands without 

 that knowledge may prove a disaster. 



The United States Department of 

 Agriculture has lately brought to- 

 gether information on this subject in 

 a bulletin* The information 

 is simply a record of actual happen- 

 ings, not of theories or scientific in- 

 vestigations. While the experiences 

 may perhaps not be immediately 

 translated for use in the clay belt, for 

 instance, they are suggestive as to 

 the difficulties and the possibilities 

 of such farming. 



An analysis of the results of 140, 

 muck-land farms in Southern Michi- 

 gan and Northern Indiana leads to 

 the following summary: 



1. The muck soil of this region is 

 well suited to the growing of celery, 

 onions, peppermint, cabbage, corn, 

 and hay, and, when properly fer- 



*Farmers' Bulletin No. 761, U. S. 

 Dept. Agr., 1916, pp. 26. Manage- 

 ment of Muck-Land Farms in North- 

 ern Indiana and Southern Michigan, 

 by H. R. Smalley. 



tilized or manured, is fairly weU 

 ada])ted to oats, wheat, and rye. 



2. The use of fertilizer, especially 

 potash, on muck soils is very pro- 

 fitable, the yields being increased in 

 most cases from 50 to 200 per cent. 

 Manure also gives excellent results. 



3. Celery and onions require an 

 enormous amount of man labor as 

 compared with corn, oats, and hay. 

 Peppermint, cabbage, and potatoes 

 occupy an intermediate position with 

 regard to man labor. 



4. The gross acre value of inten- 

 sive crops is high, but the value of 

 these crops per day of man labor is not 

 as high as in the case of extensive 

 crops. 



5. The average labor income for 28 

 celery farms was $394; for 23 onion 

 farms, $1,732: for 10 peppermint 

 farms, $1,519: for 39 grain and stock 

 farms, $1,056: and for 7 of the more 

 successful grain - and - stock farms, 

 $1,994. 



6. Grain and stock farming is a 

 much safer type of farming than any 

 intensive type, , although the profits 

 per acre may be much less. 



7. A small muck farm, even 

 though operated intensively will us- 

 ually return only a moderate labor 

 income. 



8. Tile drains were used on most of 

 the muck farms studied. The best 

 results have been obtained with 5 or 

 6 inch laterals laid 5 to 12 rods apart 

 and at a depth of 3}4 to 4 feet, al- 

 though small open ditches are very 

 satisfactory in some cases, especially 

 on the celery farms. 



9. The growing season on muck 

 land is considerably shorter than on 

 other land in the same region, on 

 account of later frosts in the spring 

 and earlier frosts in the fall. 



