THE VALUE OF MEADOW MUCK 55 



in the cord of manure would be equivalent to 12 3-4 pounds 

 of nitrogen, and its total fertilizing constituents would be 

 equivalent to 36 pounds of nitrogen. 



Experiments at the New Jersey Experiment Station^ have 

 shown that the nitrogen in fresh solid and liquid manure is as 

 available as the nitrogen in ammonia salts and dried blood, 

 but the nitrogen left in such manure after prolonged leaching 

 is but three eightiis as available. It is not known whether the 

 nitrogen of muck is as available as that in leached manure;, 

 but for convenience it is assumed to be equally so. On this 

 basis 27 pounds of nitrogen in a cord of muck would be equiv- 

 alent to about 10 pounds of nitrogen in barnyard manure. 

 The organic matter in muck may be considered worth as 

 much as that in manure. 



Therefore on the basis of fertilizing constituents as calcu- 

 lated, one cord of manure is worth three (ind one half cords 

 0/ fnuck^ while on the basis of organic matter^ a cord of 

 manure is (equivalent to one and one half cords of muck. 



In connection with the amount of organic matter in muck, 

 it is of interest to consider the amount of organic matter turned 

 under in a crop of rye. Experiments at the Pennsylvania Ex- 

 periment Station^ show an average yield of 1.800 pounds of 

 organic matter per acre in a crop of green rye at the stage of 

 growth when it could be plowed under, or about 18 inches in 

 height. Two cords of av^erage muck would be fully equiva- 

 lent to this amount of organic matter. 



It is often the case that muck is exposed to the weather for 

 several months, in order to dry it. One experiment is reported 

 by the New York Experiment Station^ in which the changes 

 undergone in such weatheringare shown. In a year of exposure, 

 a compost consisting largely of muck lost over one fifth of its 

 nitrogen. In compiling the muck analyses used in this bidle- 

 tin, it was noticed that the dry mucks contained less nitrogen 

 in dry matter than the wet mucks, and upon comparing aver- 

 ages it was found that 20 mucks with low percentages of water 

 contained only 1.55 per cent, of nitrogen in the dry matter, 



1 New Jersey Exp. Sta. Kept. 1900. 



2 Pennsylvania Exp. Sta. Uepts. 1886 and 1893. 



3 New York State Exp. Sta. Bull. 23, new series. 



