National Objectives in the Utilization of Peat Land in Agriculture and Industry

Considerabl e attention is now being given to peat land utilization through regional organization, since desirable economi c adjustment s for a land type generall y spoken of as "marginal " or "submarginal " must needs be made from the standpoint of a region coordinated as a whole. At the outset it is recognized that it is difficul t to differentiate between areas of peat clearly adapted to the use for farming from areas that are submargina l for farming but can be made to serve the manufactur e of commercial peat products, or such major objectives as pasture, timber conservation , provision for suitable water storage basins, reserves for wild life, and other purposes . It is recognized also that progres in any economi c and efficient development of the Nation's peat resources wil l be dictated toy two considerations : first, a classification of peat land that is relatively permanent in compari son with changing economi c programs affecting land use, and second, the selection of types of peat land that wil l best fulfil l the respective objectives under existing local or prospective demands . In the course of the next few years the classification cf peat land is likely to be an important consideration. Consequentl y those objectives that can be satisfied by a characterizatio n of peat land based on genetic, historical, and developmenta l features of profiles, should receive special attention at this time. The physical basi s for a new system of classifying feat land in the United States has been described and illustrated by means of distinctive type profiles in a book recentl y published as volume VII of the Handbuch der Moorkunde ) For the purpose of ascertaining the stratigraphic arrangemen t of layers, the character and volume range of different kinds of peat and muck, and of groupingvarious types of peat land under the physical conditions controlling the utilit y of areas in the major regions of this country, this system of classification may constitute a desirabl e basi s for economi c land-use adjustments. In many cases problems of specific uses of peat land coincide with great regional groups that are fairly homogeneous in inherent morophological features, surface vegetation, and climatic conditions. A map of the United States, published in the Journal of the American Societ y of Agronomy, 22:356, 1930, shows several main regions in which major groups of peat land occur. Although provisional in character , the map may provide a means for defining the greater possibilities in the use of peat resources and in estimating regional trends. Of the major groups, referred to above, the group of Northern Peat Land represente d on the 'map indicates in one way or another that the economi c feasibility of making improvement s by drainage and clearing is uncertain particularly at this time. The production of farm crops on peat soils consisting of a surface layer of moss peat is very difficult . It has become increasingl y apparent that a better use of extensive deposit s of peat would be the production of timber primarily as a suppl y for the State or Nation, for the suppor t of resident industries and employment , and in providing for the manufacture of certai n grades of commercial peat products. Other significant lines of general emphasi s are the conservation of excessivel y moist peat areas for wild lif e and for their sceni c value and primitive character , or in association with other objectives such as the protection of water sheds, and the acquisition of water storage basins, along important streams , and of peat areas that have no present or potential value but may be useful in reducing pollution, run-off and erosion. The most important of the regional groups in which the best use has been fairly well demonstrate d is the group of Central Continental Peat Land. Use is here well adjusted to the character of the peat land through special ized and intensive farming, nearnes to center s of consumption, and local facilities for transport . But though the group contains many areas in truck specialities and support s relatively remunerative general farming practices, including timber production in woodlots, a distinction should be made between areas whose use is problematical and areas having littl e or no agricultural value. A realization of different objectives compatibl e with agricultural and industrial purposes and addresse d definitely to the task of conserving specified natural peat areas would lead to a better regional balance. Other peat areas in this group occur in the coastal jrlains of the Atlantic. They suppor t in the main a diversity of native tree growth, evergreen shrubs, and cane brakes. The questions of proper use and justifiable objectives are more or less complex, but efforts are being made to clarify them. The group of Souther n and Wester n Peat Land which comprises the Florida Everglades and the Delta peat land of California, support s fairly intensive and extensive farming. The southeaster n peat areas are characterize d by much diversity, with types ranging from high to low in natural productivity. The western types are frequentl y too arid and require irrigation. Intersperse d are areas of peat the best use of which is uncei'tain, while for other areas classification and grading wil l be tentative becaus e of a lack of adequat e data. It is important that systemati c steps be taken to provide the indispensabl e basi s for determining the capacit y and adaptabilit y of the different types of peat land in this group for those principal uses for which they appear most likely to be employed. In a previous paper , which appeare d in the Scientific American (February, 1922), the writer pointed out the range of activities and the direction in which he believes a solution to lie regardingthe usefulnes of peat land in states in which they are most extensive. In a subsequen t paper, to be published in the Geographical Review, some of these suggestion s wil l be considered in greater detail.