Muck Soils in New York 1239 



4. The plasticity of the material is low. In the peat materia] 

 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 tilled. 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. 



