Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-09-12
DRIED SWAMP MUCK.
Its Benefit In Chemical Fertilizers II
Greatly Exaggerated.


Greatly Exaggerated.
The practice of using dried muck
and peat in mixing chemical fertilizers
puts up a problem which farmers ought
to understand Thousands of tons OF
such muck are used-solds as muck
tankage" We learn of one case where
a man started growing celery in
swamp and is said to have nearly fail
ed at it Then he conceived the idea
Of drying and pulyerizing the soil OF
that swamp and selling 1T to fertilizer
dealers This has brought him for
tune. Some samples of this dried peat
are said TO contain nearly per cent
of nitrogen; others carry less. This MI
trogen is in an inert form and is of
little value as a plant food. Expert
ments in Illinois showed that such nj
trogen was worth about one-half cent
a pound as compared with that in dried
blood costing 10 cents. Yet the fer
tilizer manufacturer who sells this
muck mixed with other chemicals I'M
dertakes to charge 10 cents pound
for 1t when you buy it. For example,
take q brand of fertilizer which is
guaranteed to contain in each ton 16
pounds Of nitrogen. 160 pounds avail
able phosphoric acid and 100 pounds Of
potash. 1t would be possible to supply
the potash and phosphoric acid in 200
pounds of muriate and 1,200 pounds
of acid phosphate. Then by using 100
pounds of cottonseed meal and 500
pounds of dried muck they could pro-
vide more nitrogen than they guaran-
teed. The object of using the cotton
seed meal is to color the muck, and
thus prevent. if possible, the chemist
from detecting it. But see what nice
game this isl The muck furnishes
ten or twelve pounds Of nitrogen, which
gives the fertilizer valuation of from
$3.50 to So, but which costs perhaps
20 cents. A farmer might use such a
fertilizer on his wheat this fall. The
potash and phosphoric acid may help,
but it is doubtful if his grandchildren
will see any benefit from the nitrogen
in the muck.
The excuse given for using the muck
is that it makes a good filler and dries
out the other chemicals. No serious OBJ
lection can be made to it's use as
filler, but the nitrogen it contains
should not be valued in the fertilizer,
for it is not worth the price. 1t is near
ly impossible to detect the muck when
cottonseed meal is used with it. The
best way to avoid it is to refuse to buy
low grade fertilizers or those very low
in nitrogen. 1t is impossible to use
large quantities of muck in fertilizers
containing per cent or more of nitro
gen, because materials containing more
nitrogen must De used in order to reach
q high per cent. You are most likely
to find the muck in the mixtures with
about 1 per cent Of nitrogen. 1t does
not pay to buy them. Buy the higher
grade mixtures and use an equal value
in dollars per acre and you will be bet
ter off. We believe that farmers are
paying millions of hard earned dollars
uselessly for this peat nitrogen, many
of them already having swamps on
their own farms. The chemists must
find some way to detect this peat nitro
gen, and then we shall work for law
compelling the manufacturer to state
that he uses it and that it is not valued
the same as other forms.