Mud digging operations with less than ideal ice and weather conditions was a contributing fac- tor in a loss of a good horse or a cold dunking for a man. Many times, the horses that fell in could be rescued and suffered no consequences. Unfortunately, a number of good horses would drown and the tide would carry them under the ice. If a man fell into the icy water he would soon be retrieved and taken to the nearest farmhouse to thaw out.

The sacrifices that farmers were willing to undergo to get this mud for their land is the best indicator for its effectiveness. The poorest producing fields could be brought back to productiv— ity by the shell mud. Year after year the shells continue to disintegrate, releasing a continual supply of needed lime into the acidic Island soil . Farmers who mudded could always tell exactly where the mudding had stopped. The results were especially dramatic in the growing of hay, clover and grain. Though it has been fifty years mussel mud was spread on the fields,

shells continue to show up on many fields.

With the availability of commercial fertilizer and lime, the mud digging period is over. But for many farmers who took a deep pleasure in revitalizing the worn out land, the mud digging activity — albeit a struggle — will be remembered with an unmistakable pride and fondness.l

] David E. Weale, The Island Magazine (Charlottetown: The Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation, 1978) 22-30

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