Muck Sorts 1n New Yorx 1248 
OCCURRENCE 
There are in New York State from 800 to 1,000 square 
miles of muck and peat deposits, and, as suggested above, 
these are distributed in a large number of areas. They range 
from areas an acre or more in extent to large sheets containing 
thousands of acres. Such deposits are most abundant in the 
northwestern part of the state adjacent to Lake Ontario. A few 
areas are developed in the southern, eastern and northern part of 
the state. They are associated with the rough topography where 
drainage has been much obstructed by glacial action and many of 
the former lakes and ponds have been filled by accumulations of 
this sort. The larger areas are found in the Conewango valley in 
Chautauqua county, in the Caneserago valley in southern Living- 
ston county, the Oak Orchard swamp in northern Genesee county, 
the Montezuma marshes at the foot of Cayuga lake, Cicero swamp 
southwest of Oneida lake, Pope Mills swamp, southeastern St. 
Lawrence county and the Wallkill marsh in the southern part of 
Orange county. The distribution of such lands is suggested on 
the accompanying map. 
IMPROVEMENT OF MUCK LAND 
In the reclamation of muck lands, the following steps must be 
observed : 
1. Drainage. The water level should be lowered to a depth of 
15 to 30 inches below the surface. Usually, open ditches are em- 
ployed and may be combined to form extensive canal systems. It 
is usually desirable to extend the bottom of the small field ditches 
below the desired water-table in order to quickly remove the water 
after heavy rains. A check gate should be installed to avoid the 
excessive lowering of the water. As noted above, the capillary 
relations of such lands is deficient so that drainage should be car- 
ried out only to the extent necessary to start crops in the spring. 
The large shallow areas are most critical in this respect and are 
likely to suffer seriously from lack of water in the late summer. 
The depth to which the water-table should be lowered depends very 
much upon the quality of the muck. The more pulverized its 
character the deeper should the water-table be held. Those small 
areas fed by springs, and by which the water-table is maintained 
