Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-01-12
Something Authentic About Muck.

Professor johnson of the Connecticut Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station reports analy-
ses of twelve different specimens of swamp
muck sent to him by different farmers.
These analyses show great differences in
quality and value. Some specimens are equal
in value to good dung, some of little value
except as an absorbent, and one is so alb
solutely poisonous as to prevent the growth of
any sort of plant. We give extracts from the
report as follows: d" Samples 446, 447 and
AS are from swamp of ten acres. 446
and 447 are from the head of the swale, the
former from the surface, the latter from
lower stratum. 44S was taken from the
same swale one-half mile distant and at a
lower level. Muck from both localities has
been used for many years as an absorbent,
and also applied in spring direct to crops after
having been dug in fall and exposed to air
and frost during winter. 446 and 447 have
given very good results. AS has been less
valuable.
"The analysis show large differences of
composition, in the fresh samples. 446 is a
very pure muck and quite fully saturated
with so per cent Of water; AS is drier and
contains As per cent of soil and mineral mat
ter; while 447 stands intermediate. If the
three were applied in corresponding states
of dryness, we can see that in the first two
we should have much more organic matters,
with more nitrogen, and likewise more lime
than in the last.
"The per cent of nitrogen and that of lime
in the dry samples may be taken as fair
measures of their relative value. 446 ranks
accordingly among the best, while 44s is
nearly the poorest of the samples here re-
ported.
"The inferiority of 44S is evidently
largely due to the fact that nearly three
fourths of it are sand or soil. The organic
matter which it contains is as rich in nitrogen
as that of 446. We see, in fact, that in both
these and in seven of the other samples the
organic matters contain about 2! per cent of
nitrogen.
$40 and 450 are, it is understood, two
samples from the same bed, the former dug
year ago or more, and exposed during the
winter, the latter freshly excavated sam
pie. The cured muck, 449, is used as an alb
sorbent and for composing. The questions
asked by Mr.. Wakeman are is the cured
muck worth carting 100 rods to use as an
absorbent and in compost p and has the
muck any value in its fresh state p
"The differences in composition which ap-
pear in the undried samples are almost en-
tirely due to their unlike proportions Of
water, viz : 3s and So! per cent. Dry, they
agree in containing about 90 per cent of or
gsnic matter with 90 per cent of nitrogen,
and about 10 per cent of ash with two per
cent OF lime.
"To Mr.. Wakemans questions the follow
ing answers were given az 449 is well
worth carting 100 rods to use as an absorb
ent. 1t contains, as analyzed, with 3S per
cent water, nearly twice as much nitrogen
as good stable manure, and of this there can
be no reasonable doubt that good portion
would become available to crops, especially
after composing with dung and urine It
also contains times as much lime as stable
manure. (2) As TO the value of 450, the fresh
dug muck, it would doubtless be serviceable
il well pulverized and distributed upon
sandy, droughty soil. 1t contains nothing
injurious to vegetation.
"The chief advantages of curing muck
by exposure to air and frost are Q) pulver-
ization, (2) removal of a share of the useless
water, and (3) removal of soluble poisonous
salts of iron. 450, like all but two of the
samples here reported, is free from injurious
iron-salts and except for the cost of carting
its extra water and the convenience of ap.
plication, it might most probably be ap-
piled as well fresh az cured.
"45l was a well cured or dried sample, but
still retained 32 per cent Of water. The
composition in the dry state shows it to be
rather above medium quality, with 10 per
cent lime and l.3 per cent nitrogen. It's
contents of sand and soil Q5 per cent OF
more OF the dry muck) depresses the nitro
gen, but the organic matter itself contains a
less proportion of this element than that OF
any other sample except 452.
! "452 and i53 represent respectively the