Muck So:ts is New Yorx 1239 
4. The plasticity of the material is low. In the peat material 
it is especially lacking but is better developed in the muck soil. 
5. Muck and peat land is deficient in potash and requires heavy 
applications of that material for crop production. 
6. The climate of muck soil is inclined to be frosty. This 
results from the position of the material in hollows and from its 
large water content. Such materials accumulate the cold air in 
spring, and the warming of the soil is delayed by its large water 
content. 
ORIGIN 
The origin of the material is suggested by its primary charac- 
teristics. It represents the accumulation of various kinds of plant 
remains over a long period of years. Upon the death of the plants 
their materials have been covered by the swamp water where the 
air is excluded and where antiseptic properties have been devel- 
oped, both of which hinder decomposition. Decay goes on more 
slowly than the accumulation and consequently the deposits have 
been built up from year to year until frequently they have attained 
depths of 30 to 40 feet. Usually, however, the depth is from 
2 to 10 feet. 
KINDS OF PLANTS THAT FORM MUCK 
There is a considerable variation in the kind of plants that 
make up muck and peat deposits. They vary not only with dif- 
ferent areas but at different depths in the same area. Sometimes 
they start on the border of a lake and gradually build themselves 
out over the surface of the water until the lake is filled. In other 
cases the water is sufficiently shallow so that the first plants find 
rooting on the bottom and gradually fill the lake with the plant 
materials. The following types of vegetation have been recognized 
as responsible for such accumulations: 
1. Mosses, including the floating forms that live on the edge of 
open water. Sphagnum moss is one of the common varieties that 
contributes largely to the latter stages of muck formation. 
2. Grasses and flags. These grow luxuriantly where the water 
level is near the surface of the land and in time they may form 
large accumulations. The Montezuma marsh is representative of 
this type. 
