306 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
fornia and in Florida are upon muck soils. In Florida 
these areas are known as “hammock soils” and “saw- 
grass marshes.” They vary from i to io feet or more in 
depth and are formed of decayed vegetable matter. There 
should be a depth of not less than 18 inches of muck 
to secure the most satisfactory results. In the best 
celery mucks the water table is' about 3 feet below the 
surface. In such soil the crop will not suffer seriously 
during drouth. When the water table is near the surface 
the soil is soft and difficult to work with horses and there 
is also danger of an excessive amount of water in wet 
seasons. 
The following is an analysis of a Kalamazoo muck soil 
(Mich. Sta. Bui. 99, p. 12) used for celery: 
Per cent 
Sand and silicates 19.16 
Alumina 1.40 
Oxide of iron 3.94 
Lime 6.09 
Magnesia 0.81 
Potash 0.34 
Soda 0.38 
Sulphuric acid 1.31 
Phosphoric acid 0.88 
Carbonic acid 1.9S 
Organic matter (containing 2.53 of nitrogen) 63.76 
Water 6.51 
Other analyses published in the bulletin referred to 
indicate that there is very little variation in the composi- 
tion of Michigan mucks. 
When cleared, muck soils are often very acid and re- 
quire large applications of lime before they will pro- 
duce the best crops of celery. The accumulation of 
alkalies in irrigated lands of the West is not apparently 
injurious to the growth of celery. A first-class muck is 
brown-black in color, friable, free from coarse, fibrous 
material and will produce no change on blue litmus 
paper. Sour mucks are unfit for cultivation until, in 
addition to liming, they are weathered by being exposed 
«o the action of frost during the winter. 
