2 BULLETIN 1419, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
different layers, and the condition of the water supply and of the 
mineral substratum are seldom examined. For this reason there has 
always been a certain element of hazard and doubt in the economic 
development of peat resources. 
Experience in the United States appears on the whole to be in 
accord with that reported for Europe. From many peat lands under 
cultivation the returns in vegetables, forage crops, or small grains 
have been disappointing, although for unknown reasons on occasional 
fields excellent crops have been raised. Some peat lands are easily 
tilled, increase the quality of timber produced, supply a material 
which yields a satisfactory artificial manure upon composting, or carry 
a roadbed designed for heavy traffic, while other peat areas are 
not giving promising results. To remove the element of doubt, or 
at least to reduce it, is the purpose of this bulletin. Briefly, the object 
is to formulate a basis for a more definite selection and also for a 
safer and more economic procedure in the work of improving, for 
different uses, peat lands which have been abandoned in various 
sections of the country. 
EXAMINATION OF PEAT LANDS 
In order to determine the class to which any peat-land unit be- 
longs a systematic examination of the fundamental factors is required. 
Undue stress has often been laid on the color of the peat material, 
the acid reaction, or the native surface vegetation, as the factors 
which indicate the type of land to be chosen for development. In 
many instances, farmers have failed because the peat area did not 
produce according to expectations based on surface conditions. The 
observed failures are now well understood to be due to inexperience 
as to the widely varying essential differences between peat lands, 
each case requiring more or less special examination; and, in conse- 
quence, efforts are now being directed toward working out a more 
dynamic and geographic basis for correlating the possibilities and 
limitations of peat lands. The aim is to prevent the difficulties at 
their source, rather than to adopt doubtful corrective measures. It 
is therefore of considerable importance to supplement in various ways 
the general observations upon peat and muck, with more detailed 
descriptions of the whole profile and of certain outstanding factors, 
such as the sources of ground water and mineral subsoil. Upon in- 
formation concerning these factors an intelligent estimate of peat 
areas may be based. 
A field method to establish a natural classification of peat lands 
has now been used over a section of this country large enough to lead 
to wide general views. Directions for a uniform method to be fol- 
lowed have been published under the title "The Stratigraphic Study 
of Peat Deposits "(1 1). 2 As a supplementary aid to this subject a 
series of investigations limited to restricted regional areas has been 
made (9, 14-, lo), and others are in progress. These studies are not 
without interest to those who are working on the nomenclature and 
mapping of peat lands, on comparative researches in general soils 
science, and in geology and ecology. 
1 Serial numbers (italic) in parentheses refer to " Literature cited," at the end of this bulletin. 
