Muck Soils in New Yokk 1243 



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-4able 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 



