1240 Tur Vecerasie Inpustry In New York State 
3. After the muck and peat has accumulated until it has 
reached the surface of the water of the swamp and affords a 
fairly firm foundation, various types of shrub and tree growth de- 
velop. When the land is especially wet, cedar and tamarack fre- 
quently develops. ‘The latter survives out nearly to the edge of 
open water. 
4. In the latter stages, various hardwood trees are introduced. 
The more common of these are elm, black ash and soft maple. 
This latter type of vegetation is generally characteristic of an 
advanced stage in muck formation. Frequently cedar is inter- 
spersed with the hardwood species. The large growth of kard- 
wood trees and of weeds and shrub plants is one of the best indi- 
cations of the agricultural value of muck soil. When it will sup- 
port such plants it is very certain to be suitable, with little treat- 
ment, for the growth of agricultural crops. Where the vegetation 
is predominately cedar and tamarack — species rich in resin — 
the resulting soil is likely to be loose and peaty and has a low 
agricultural value. It may be that the resinous matter in the 
wood interferes with decay. Such soil inclines to be dry and has 
a poor relation to moisture. Where the prevailing timber is hard- 
wood with only an occasional specimen of cedar, the crop value 
is usually good. 
The muck and peat deposits in New York may be divided into 
two general groups. The first of these is the tide water swamps 
under the influence of salt water. Flags and grass are the prevail- 
ing type of vegetation. They are generally very fibrous and cov- 
ered by hummocks of plants. The salt water hinders decay. 
When drained and protected from tidal overflow the salt is grad- 
ually washed out by the fresh water from the uplands and from 
rainfall and the soil becomes favorable for cropping. Areas of 
this soil have been developed on parts of Long Island. 
The other type is the fresh water swamps in the inland part of 
the state. Some of these are broad, shallow sheets of muck and 
peat soil while others are small deposits often of great depth. 
There is often a considerable difference in the agricultural value of 
these two types. The first, when drained, is likely to suffer seri- 
ously from the lack of water because of the poor moisture relations 
of the material and the fact that the water-table may be too far 
