The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-10-31
WATER HAVING IN NEW JERSEY.
A Tour of Discovery Through Ocean County Varie-
ties of Hay and Moss Gathered by Those
Who Did Not Sow
BY w. H. BALLoU.


segregates its remarkable hay industry
into fresh hay, salt hay and sedge,
or three square" island grass. Incl
dental to and forming a large part of
the whole are the twin industries OF
marine weed and peat moss gathering.
The hay under water, which man
cannot NOV, the tides cut down and
sweep ashore in form Of marine moss.
or weeds, Fostering the angler but en-
riching the farmer On land where
cedar swamp forests prevent the
growth of hay, yasts crops Of peat, or
sphagnum MOSES thrive to take its
place In commerce. Holland with its
dikes, artificial canals and hay areas,
Is not more picturesque than this I'M
mense fiat of varied hays and MOSES,
above and under water, with miles OF
inland estuaries aiding to get out the
product AS in Holland, so here, sail,
motor and barge form adjuncts of
moving machines, scythes and ricks.
Ultimately these products would reach
New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, New
ark-the contiguous clties-by water
instead OF by rail, but New Jersey has
never spent a dollar to improve Barne-
gat Bay and its inlet, nor has it asked
or received a dollar from congress
within the memory Of man. Unmo-
Tested, lands and sandbars have rap.
idly arisen in the bay; old channels
have filled, so that nowhere has town
or individual had courage to erect q
wharf except for catboats. Former
large productive industries of oysters,
clans and fisheries have shrunk in
consequence. There is, however, the
compensation that as the bay goes to
ruin as such new grass and moss
areas arise and increase the produc-
tiveness OF the farms.
The Barnegat fat extends the en-
tire length of ocean county on the
east side, and covers an area of per
haps three hundred square miles of
land and water This great produc-
tive region is some thirty-odd miles in
length and ten miles and upward in
width. The railways, with much wis
dom, were laid along the extreme west
ern border Of the fiat, touching at the
heads of barge navigation of the many
short fresh water streams, where all
the products of land and water can be
set on their cars from small boats or
by means of short land hauls. The
Jersey. Central, from Lakewood to
Barnegat, and the Pennsylvania, from
Barnegat to Tuckerton, with branch.
es to Beach Haven and Barnegat City,
securely inclose the fat and tap its i'm.
mense land and marine industries.
West OF these lines Ocean county is
dead ancient ocean sand bottom
covered with pines, mostly Of the
scrub sort, productive of little but poor
lumber and charcoal.
l took camera and pencil and went
out among producers and handlers
along the entire Barnegat fiat. Some
hays, dried grasses and MOSES, 1t
seems, are no longer mere fodder, but
are used in the great packing indus
tries, mattress making, etc Salt hay
and sedge grasses are used in packing
bottles. Pea moss goes to pack live
trees and shrubs for shipment from
nursery to customer Marine MOSES
and weeds are taken by croclSery pack.
ers and mattress makers. Fresh hay,
commanding SIS ton delivered at
railway stations, Of course, is too eX-
pensive for packers, as II retails at
$25 a ton in the cities, where the mer-
chants have to add to first cost the
transportation and carting charges,
insurance and storage rents. Salt
hay and sedge grass are also used for
bedding. Salt hay is fed alternately
to horses. especially by liverymen. sup
plemented by oats, the animals lik-
ing the taste Of 1t at intervals. Salt
hay and sedge grass bring SO ton
at the railway stations. and retail in
New York and Philadelphia at $13 a
ton. The black sedge is called three
square" on account Of It's shape, and
at one stage is heavy with seed and
nutritious, when stock take It greedily.
In 1906 New Jersey produced 6s6, 7s7
tons of hay, Of which Ocean county Is
said by its shippers to have sent awaa
over $4,000 tons OF all classes, besides
what It consumed, making It the ban.
ner hay county Of the etate. This
statement has some yerification The
Jersey Central agent at Barnegat told
me that IA 1906 he sent OUT 23O0
cars Of 10 tons each, or $4,000 tons. or
eight TO ten bales to the ton and Of
100 TO $50 pounds TO the bale. A
shipper told me that Forled river.