Muck (soil)
Muck is a
soil made up primarily of
humus from drained
swampland. It is known as black soil in
The Fens of eastern
England, where it was originally, mainly
fen and
bog. It is used there, as in the United States, for growing specialty crops such as
onions,
carrots,
celery, and
potatoes.
Muck farming on drained bogs is an important part of agriculture in
New York,
Ohio,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Michigan,
Wisconsin, and
Florida, where mostly vegetables are grown. American "muckers" often have roots from the
Netherlands or
Eastern Europe, where their ancestors practiced a similar type of farming. The soils are deep, dark colored, and friable, often underlain by
marl or marly clay.
Muck farming is controversial, because the drainage of
wetlands destroys wildlife
habitat and produces other environmental problems. It is unlikely that any more will be created in the US, because of environmental regulations. It also was often hyped as miracle soil, capable of vast yields, which does not hold up in reality. It is prone to problems; muck is very light and usually windbreaks must be provided to keep it from blowing away when dry. It also can catch fire and burn underground for months.
Oxidation also removes a portion of the soil each year, so it becomes progressively shallower. Some muck land has been reclaimed for
wildlife preserves.
*
Peat* The Horicon National Wildlife Refuge was established on muck land returned as much as possible to the original state. http://midwest.fws.gov/horicon/Hisettlepg3.html
* An example of a typical muck farming operation: http://www.vegetablegrowersnews.com/pages/2003/issue_03_08/03_08_zellers_soil.html
