SOLON ROBINSON, 1840 321 



think it would. Col, M. has embanked and ditched 150 

 acres of salt marsh, which he intends to plow and plant 

 next year. Part of his land is so full of shells, from the 

 remains of Indian oystering, as to be unproductive. 

 What application is best for this land? [Cart away the 

 shells from the surface, and spread them on land where 

 shells do not exist; and cart back earth and vegetable 

 matter to the place from which the shells were taken 

 away. By this means, a rich soil will be obtained in both 

 situations. — Eds.] It is sandy and gravelly. I have rec- 

 ommended clay and muck. Here there are some very 

 large, old apple trees; and down by the creek, there is 

 a dwelling house, which carries one's mind back to the 

 days when the Indian hunted wild game in the hills 

 around, and white men little dreamed of locomotives and 

 steamboats, and cast-iron plows. It is upwards of a cen- 

 tury old. 



Plum Trees, when attacked by the black-wart blight. 

 Col. M. cuts off, and engrafts upon the stumps apricots 

 or peaches, which grow well. There is a very large salt 

 marsh upon the same stream where Col. M. has reclaimed 

 his, that is worth about $4 an acre, which, if reclaimed at 

 a cost of not more, probably, than $25 an acre, would 

 then be worth $100. 



Planting Oysters. — This is carried on in this vicinity 

 to a greater extent than planting corn. It is all very 

 well, but did any body ever grow rich at it? [Yes. It is 

 a very profitable business in this vicinity. — Eds.] Oys- 

 ters are brought here to fatten, from Virginia and Mary- 

 land. From South Amboy, along the old turnpike to 

 Spotswood, ten miles, the land is very sandy, and covered 

 with a scanty growth of wood, with few inhabitants. 



Use of Lime in Jersey.— The farm of Peter C. Stryker 

 is worthy of notice, as a good illustration of what lime 

 has done in only two years, towards renovating a worn- 

 out tract of sandy land, by which it is made to produce 

 luxuriant clover and very handsome wheat, where the 

 former owner scarcely made hay and straw enough to 



