Profiles of Peatlands within Limits of Extinct Glacial Lakes Agassiz and Wisconsin

Abstract

In conclusion, it should be stated that it is the climatic aspect of peat profiles which needs to be emphasized also in matters relating to the agricultural uses of these lake-bed peatlands. From the foregoing considerations it is evident that the present native surface vegetation is no indicator, either of the depth of peat accumulation, the sequence of layers, the character of the mineral subsoils, or the production possibilities for different systems of cropping. The profile sections indicate, furthermore, that production in these peat areas may depend chiefly on the quantity of water available. During the period before settlement, the arable land resources of the states had become filled with ground water from a long accumulation of rainfall and thaw waters. Since the settlement of the states, the ground water level has been steadily sinking. A serious situation may arise, therefore, in periods of drought, and settlers in that region may not be able to endure the years of adversity, if an extensive system of drainage is adopted without reference to the stratigraphic features of the peatlands. The provision of an adequate water supply and the control of water levels is essential if the agriculture of the region is to be permanent and satisfactory. The lack of a commensurate water supply may operate entirely against increasing production by intensive methods of farming. Such portions of the forested peatland area which contain deep, water logged depressions are important water storage basins. They would help to regulate and maintain a favorable ground water table. It seems far more profitable, therefore, to select such localities, and not to drain them, but to keep them as part of a state reserve of reforestation.