22 MUCK CROPS 



appreciate the benefits of a wise and intelli- 

 gent use of commercial fertilizers when ap- 

 plied to muck, in order to produce maximum 

 crops of choice vegetables. 



Value as Fuel and Other Purposes. Muck 

 is so closely related to peat that it is practic- 

 ally impossible to individualize it. A good 

 definition of each would be: peat, decaying 

 vegetable matter formed in swamps, gener- 

 ally coarse material. Muck peat which is 

 in a finer state of division, or peat which has 

 disintegrated, owing to action of weathering 

 and to soil organisms, and turned black in 

 color. Generally, muck contains more ash 

 than peat. No sharp lines of distinction can 

 be drawn between peat and muck. 



It will be necessary to give figures repre- 

 senting both muck and peat as to 'value as 

 a fuel. 



It is" estimated in northern Europe alone 

 approximately 10,000,000 tons of these 

 materials are prepared and consumed an- 

 nually as fuel, stable litter, for sanitary pur- 

 poses, and in various arts and trades. A 

 division of this amount would show Russia 

 producing 4,000,000 tons annually, Germany 

 2,000,000, Holland and Sweden each 



