RECLAIMING MUCK LAND 75 



Windbreaks. When large bodies of muck 

 are cleared, it has been found that great dam- 

 age is often done by sweeping winds. Some- 

 times the top dry layer of muck with seeds 

 or crop is completely blown out. It is then 

 necessary to grow or erect windbreaks to 

 check the force of these disastrous winds. 

 At Canastota, N. Y., poplar trees have been 

 grown for this purpose, placing them i rod 

 apart in the row and generally around a 5 

 or lo-acre lot. The trees have grown finely. 

 At South Lima, N. Y., cedar is used by some. 

 Others use slat fences with good success. 

 The latter does not waste as much land as 

 the former. At Middleport, N. Y., one com- 

 pany uses black currants on their muck. 

 They have proved both satisfactory as a 

 windbreak and profitable as a crop producer, 

 about $600 worth of currants being har- 

 vested in 1912. Other forms and kinds of 

 trees, shrubs, or fences, are used in various 

 places. The main factor in each case is to 

 place some obstacle in the path of the wind 

 to check its devastating effect. 



First Crops. After the muck has been 

 plowed and fitted, it is very seldom advisable 

 to plant the ground to the more delicate 



