Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-07-01
The Value aud Treatment of Muck.


The Value aud Treatment of Muck.
We doubt not many farmers who
have muck-beds, will find much infor
nation and many valuable suggestions
from the following brief but careful de-
scription of the quality, value and treat
ment of mucks. The paper was read
at recent meeting of the American In
stitute Farmers Club, by DR.. E. w.
Sylvester, of Lyons, whom we know to
be one of the most observing and prac-
tically scientific agriculturists of western
New York. The doctor writes:
"The word muck is applied by some
writer's to all kinks of manures, inclu-
ding the droppings of animals, but for
the present paper it will be used as
descriptive of the dark composition
taken from swamps and lowlands, and
which is usually composed of muck,
peat and GENE, muck being properly
the surface in these natural deposits,
peat the more thoroughly decomposed
vegetable matter, and GENE the really
valuable substance to the farmers con
tanned in the two. Geine is thus de-
fined by Worcester: Vegetable earth
or mold, the soluble brown matter
which may be extracted from soils bv
the action of water This is the sub
stance we need for plant food, and is
contained In the peat and muck in vary
ing proportions, according to the To-
callty from which the sample is taken.
1t is contended by some that allswamp-
muck contains percentage of acid, and
must not be applied directly to the field
from the bed. [ determined to test the
truth Of this, and in 1853 drew in au-
tumn few loads of muck directly from
its bed, and spread evenly over
sod-ground of timothy and clio
yer (the soil being a strong loam) at
the rate of about twenty loads to the
acre, and drove stakes to facilitate the
observation of the experiment, but the
following spring and summer no stakes
were required to mark the spot, for the
crop was of darker color, stronger
growth, and apparently very much
benefited by the application. 1t is
proper to remark III this connection
that I had previously tested several
samples of the muck with soda. and
could find no acid present It has been.
however, my usual custom to prepare
the muck before applying it to the cul-
tivated land. The land from which the
muck is dug requires to be drained. and
generous, broad ditch is lined off, and
two men with two-horse truck and
dumping boards will draw and deposit
upon the muck pile, which is about
forty rods distant, an average of sixteen
to twenty loads per day, the muck be-
ing thrown from the ditch into the
truck, and the ditch finished in good
style as the muck is drawn away.
Counting the cost of team and extra
man at S. per day, the muck costs only
% cents per load, and you have the
ditch dug without any expense. But I
have found it best to combine other
fertilizers with the muck, and this has
given rise to two different methods of
composing. First, muck and stable
manure-a number of loads of muck
are dumped on the ground, forming
bed III position at any time approach
able III summer or winter, usually at
small distance from the barn, and upon
this bed Is drawn and dumped stable
manure, and upon these two another
layer of muck, thus sandwiching the
muck and manure until the pile is so
high that it is inconvenient driving
upon it, the muck and the manure hay
ing been intermingled to considerable
extent by driving over it as each load
is deposited. The proportions usually
one load of stable manure to five loads
of muck. [ have thus prepared an
agricultural sandwich which is devoured
by the hungry soil, when applied, with
gusto. Second, muck and lime, ashes
and muck, soda and muck, potash and
muck, after repeated experiments, have
proved themselves very valuable, but as
unleached wood ashes are difficult to
be obtained, [ have usually sandwiched
the muck with gas lime, which is very
cheap, and in my location easily
obtained. The pile of lime and
muck is prepared in SINH
lar manner, with this differ
ence, we put one load Of lime to ten of
muck, taking care that it is evenly dis
tributed through the mass. These
piles of compost are allowed to remain
about six months, until late winter or
early spring, when they are drawn upon
the land intended to be fertiEzed. and
where they are Immediately available
as plant food. Every man who has
garden has felt the want of fertilizer.
easily accessible, which will not pro-
duce the growth of weeds among the
small plants he is cultivating [ use,
for the purpose of preparing my aka
line GENE, an old molasses hogshead,
or sometimes an old sugar hogshead
will hold water after being soaked. In
to this put four bushels Of muck or
peat and one bushel of unleached ashes
or its equivalent of potash, and then
TIL the hogshead with water. This is
thoroughly stirred once day for three
days, when the liquid viii be about the
color OF the liquor in the tanners watts,
and may be applied in the liquid form
to any kind Of garden vegetables or
small fruits at the time of sunset, with
the most satisfactory results. IF muck
IS accessible IN your locality, and you
will try this only once, I have no doubt
it will become with you an annual
f,~1n