1240 The Vegetable Industry 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 hard- 

 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 



