i9 2o] DACH NOW SKI— PEAT-LAND 457 



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land differs very much from that of mineral soils. The bulk 

 of a peat deposit is water and must contain not less than 65-70 per 

 cent of water to be serviceable for the growth of crops. • Moreover, 

 in the great manufacturing states, particularly of the east and south, 

 workable peat deposits are often involved which have a considerable 

 acreage. On account of the fact that drainage and the utilization of 

 such areas must frequently ignore state lines and control canals, 

 dams, and the use of water for transportation or for irrigation pur- 

 poses, the lines along which production should arise w r ithin certain 

 selected areas of peat call not only for policies and organization, 

 but also for extensive operations and for the collective working and 

 association of small holdings into larger units. 



It is not too late to adopt a national policy with regard to the 

 conservation and utilization of peat deposits that are too large for 

 individual enterprises, or which have been reserved for colonization. 

 The only safe course is to determine carefully the character of the 

 peat-land in the various regions of this country, and to lay a founda- 

 tion for the methods and practices which will convert suitable 

 land into productive areas. This policy of aiding and cooperating 

 with the several interests should have national importance as well 

 as state and local significance. 



The relatively small quantity of plant remains in any peat 

 deposit with a 65-70 per cent water content has not only unusual 

 physical properties, but it contains various groups of organic com- 

 pounds of great technical importance, and provides also the culture 

 medium for bacterial organisms by means of which the organic mat- 

 ter may be made invaluable to agriculture. Peat materials are 

 usually deficient in mineral salts suitable for the growth of cultivated 

 crops, and they are not well balanced in fertilizer constituents. 

 It is superfluous, therefore, to point out that the burning of organic 

 material to increase the productiveness of the land is an erroneous 

 practice which should be strongly condemned. As a general policy 

 extensive drainage projects far in advance of the actual utilization 

 of the peat deposits concerned should not be regarded as economical. 



Engineers in various professions, after a careful study of peat- 

 lands in relation to the nitrogen problem and the question of central 

 electric power stations, have arrived at the conclusion that we are 



