Growine VEGETABLES on Muck Lanps 1247 
EQUIPMENT 
_The investment in equipment for muck land vegetable produc- 
tion varies greatly. Some growers with relatively small areas 
are highly successful though their tools are few and simple, repre- 
senting less than three or four hundred dollars for — say ten acres. 
The buildings may be very simple, providing merely shelter for 
tools and a room for preparing products for market. Small and 
simple green houses are used by celery men for growing early 
plants. Storage houses for onions are frequently built, but this 
is really independent of crop production, as the gain incident to 
holding the crop is expected to meet the interest charges and 
other costs and fo offer a profit in addition. Some men build 
more elaborate storage houses and expensive tool and work rooms, 
and so increase their investrhent rather heavily, not always with 
increased profit. 
DRAINAGE 
The care of drainage ditches on the muck land involves special 
consideration. Two general methods are in practice. Most 
growers maintain a narrow strip of sod, or rather a strip of sod 
which they pretend to keep within narrow limits, on each side 
of the bank. Thus the sides may be kept almost vertical. The 
other method consists in keeping the banks of the ditches shaved 
clean, thus allowing no harbor for weeds. Each requires about 
the same amount of space. 
There is a growing tendency toward the use of tile drainage in- 
stead of open ditches. The latter are objectionable on account 
of the loss of space, often as much as 10 per cent. ; the labor of keep- 
ing them shoveled out from year to year; their interference with 
operations, and on account of the harboring of weeds. It has been 
found that where tile is well laid, placing the line on a board bot- 
tom, the plan is satisfactory, even through the fall is very slight. 
Muck soils do not form clods as do the heavier upland soils. 
Even though the material is very light, plowing is not as easy as 
might be supposed. The smallest spot of rust on a plowshare is 
sufficient to start an accumulation of muck which prevents scour- 
ing, and before long the implement is merely dragged through 
the soil without turning a real furrow. Considerable care must 
