REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 1903 



71 



passes trees near the roadside, the branches of trees maj be 

 seen to shake violently, and even the water in the drainage 

 ditches rolls along in waves 1 or 2 inches high. The pulpy 

 nature of the peat will be perceived when it is understood that 

 a 2 inch auger may be pushed down to the clay, after the tough 

 top layer is penetrated. The trunks of decayed trees seem to 

 offer no resistance, being penetrated just as easily as the mass 

 of peat formed from moss and leaves. 



The soil on the drained portions is well adapted for nearly all 

 crops except grain, though it is used almost entirely for raising 

 garden truck. It is thought by some that it does not equal the 

 soil of the Greycourt meadows, but this is very doubtful. It is 

 quite likely, however, that lands which have been recently 

 drained may not be so fertile as those which have been fertilized 

 with lime and phosphate for some years, as the bog soil seems 

 to be lacking in these elements. 



The following table of analyses^ shows the quality of the peat 

 from the Drowned Lands.^ 



Test 



Depth of 



LOCALITY 



Organic 



Ash 



pit 



sample 





matter 



i 

 1 Ail ft down . . 



West bank of river at highway bridge south 



69 



31 







of head of canal. 







IB 



3 





85 



15 



IC 



5 





89 



11 



2A 



6 in. down. . 



1| m. n. 50° w. of Florida, about 300 feet 

 from edge near house of Mr Powers. 



49a 



51 



2B 



3ft " .. 





85a 



15 



8 A 



14 in. " .. 



At side of swamp road li miles n. 60° w. of 

 Florida. About in center of that area of 

 swamps. 



78a 



33 



6b 



3ift " .. 





87a 



13 



4A 



Surface soil 



North side "Goshen turnpike," about f 

 mile southwest of Quaker creek, between 

 Big and Black Walnut islands. 



81 



19 



4 B 8i ft down. . 





90 



10 



oA 



6 in. 



North side of road, 150 feet west of Owen's 

 Station, N. J. 



90a 



10 



oB 



3ift " . 





89a 



11 



1 Analyzed by J. B. Gilmore, May 22, 1900. 



2 Freeman, John R. Report upon New York's Water Supply. N. Y. 1900. 

 p. 520. 



« Samples contain little or no iron. 



