Thursday Morning, February 13 



POSSIBILITIES IN CROPS NOT COMMONLY GROWN ON 



MUCK LAND 



Henry Greffrath, South Lima, New York 



Every muck land farmer has often had this question asked him, 

 and as often asked himself : How many crops can be grown on muck 

 land and be grown on paying basis? For many years, onions were 

 the only truck crop that could be grown on muck land, or at least 

 this was thought some fifty years ago. Then celery was added to 

 the list and proved to be a winner. Some twenty years ago lettuce 

 was added, and today onions, celery, and lettuce are practically 

 the only crops grown by a large majority of muck land farmers. 

 There are many other crops that can be grown successfully, and on 

 paying basis, on muck land under certain conditions. It is true 

 they will not yield as large cash net income per acre as celery, onions, 

 or lettuce in seasons when such crops sell high, but almost any kind 

 of a crop would have brought the grower more money this year than 

 the onion crop did. Celery seed has been high the last two years, 

 and this probably has been the means of keeping the acreage of that 

 particular crop down to some extent. With increased acreage added, 

 and with failure to increase our marketing facilities, we are going to 

 encounter a hard proposition on the celery crop in a very short time. 

 In organized distribution lies the prosperity of the future of the 

 muck land grower. If all lettuce that is sown each summer could 

 be brought to produce a full crop, we would not be able to dispose 

 of it at living prices. Weather conditions help to regulate that to 

 some extent. Under such conditions, would it not be much better 

 to grow some other crops than to try to grow the same crops — sow 

 the same acreage that we did to onions last year, knowing that we 

 will be forced to the wall if we continue? 



Here is a list of crops that I know can be grown on muck land. 

 I have grown part of them, I have seen some grown in other places. 

 There are probably other growers here that have had experience 

 with these same crops, and perhaps some not named here, and we 

 want to hear from them. The list I will name follows: potatoes, 

 corn, both sweet and field, peas, beets, carrots, parsnips, horse- 



