The Portland daily press., 1883-10-02
Concerning Muck.
BY HENRY REYNOLDS, NJ. D.

The value of muck depends principally
upon the organic matter and nitrogen which
it contains. Its composition varies widely
according to the kind of plants which con-
tributed to its formation, and the amount of
soil or sand which became mixed with it.
Thirteen samples Of muck, thoroughly dried,
analysed at the Connecticut Experiment Sta
ton during the year 1880 were found to con-
tain from % to 90 per cent. of vegetable
substances, from .26 to At per cent. of lime !;
and 81 TO "a of nitrogen. This shows that
the best sample of muck, after exposure to
the air and frost, SO that about 35 per cent.
of water would be retained in it, would con-
tain 1.76 per cent. of lime and 1856 of nitro
gen, while the poorest sample would con-
tain 81 per cent. of lime and .62 per cent of
nitrogen.
According to an analysis of DR.. Voelders',
barn manure contains about ga per cent. of
nitrogen, or only about the same that the
poorest of thirteen specimens of muck exam
ined at the Connecticut Experiment Station
contained, while the best sample of muck
contains nearly three times as much nitro
gen as the barn manure. Nitrogen, it
should be remembered, is one of the most
valuable elements of plant food, being reck-
oned at from Is to 20 cents per pound. The
nitrogen in the muck is not as valuable,
pound for pound, as that contained in barn
manure. 1t is less soluble and less available
for the use of plants. The nitrogen found
In muck is in condition similar to that
found in the soil. 1t needs to be changed
into soluble forms and made available for
use. Fermentation is ready means of eff
fecting this object, and one of the easiest
ways of accomplishing it is to compost the
barn manure with one, two or three times
its bulk of muck and allow the whole to
heat and decompose. In this way large
amount of excellent compost can be pre-
pared, and when applied to the ground good
results will be obtained
If the muck is used in the barn and stable
to absorb the liquid manure, and is then
piled in heap, it will ferment, and a por-
ton OF its nitrogen be brought into an avail
able condition for the use of farm crops.
Muck may also be freely used in the hog
pens, about the sink spouts and wherever
there are liquids to be absorbed or manure
to be composted with. Wherever it IS used,
it is advantageous to allow the whole mass
to heat and decompose for a while before
applying TO the SOIL When used as a top
dressing for grass land or for mulching fruit
trees the nitrogen of the muck will gradual
ly become soluble by the action of the air,
and thus be made serviceable for the use of
plants.
The organic matter contained in muck is
of considerable value, especially for applica-
ton to fields which have been cultivated so
long that there is deficiency of decaying
organic matter in the soil. When applied to
such soils it performs an important service
in rendering soluble some of the large
amounts of insoluble potash, phosphoric
acid and nitrogen which all soils contain
The decay of its organic matter forms car
bonic acid gas which, mingled with water,
becomes powerful solvent of the reserved
stores of plant food. The nearer the muck
is to the surface the more rapidly will it de-
cay, and of course the greater will be its
solvent effect.
Throughout the Eastern States there are
extensive deposits of muck, much of which
is of excellent quality. Nearly every farm
has deposit, either within its limits or
within one or two miles. These deposits
seem to be reserved source OF fertility pro-
vided BY nature to aid the farmer in his
work of making the earth fruitful, and they
should not be neglected. If dug and allowed
to dry a large load can be hauled by yoke
of oxen or span of horses, thus reducing
the cost of transportation. By drying it, the
bulk will be SO reduced that any one can af-
ford to haul it considerable distances, rather
than not to have it. 1t is hoped that more
attention will be given to the use of the
muck deposits for the improvement of the
farms.
Livermore Falls, Me.