4 On the jYew Jersey Marls. 



from good marl, or that stands in the marl pits, never 

 settles quite clear, but remains of a pale milky white or a 

 light sky blue colour ; and in the neighbourhood of the 

 marl where we observe that colour in the small streams, 

 we find good meadow thereon ; hence it is probable that 

 those meadows owe the principal part of their fertility to 

 the marly nature of the water which overflows them at 

 times ; as it has been proved that water from a marl pit 

 has all the good effects of marl on grass lands. The good 

 effects of marl on land has been known to last for ten or 

 twelve years ; but beyond that time little can be said, as 

 it has not been used but a few years. In one instance, 

 ten years after the first dressing, it was repeated, and it 

 had all the good effect of the first dressing, which was 

 very great. One of my neighbours has gone over some 

 of his land the third time with good success. Its good 

 effects are observed by top dressings on grass-lands, In- 

 dian corn, potatoes, and all kinds of garden vegetables, 

 and for fruit trees. A few years after a top dressing of 

 the sod is ploughed in, a good crop of any thing may be 

 obtained. Some use it with good success mixed with 

 yard manure, by way of compost on land for wheat and 

 rye, but I prefer it as a top dressing, believing that the at- 

 mosphere decomposes it, and fits it for vegetable purposes. 

 The quantity of marl for one acre may be from three to 

 ten and twenty tons ; but great effects have been observ- 

 ed the two last years on grass lands, from one to two tons 

 per acre, strewed over by hand early in the spring. There 

 are appearances of marine substances in all the species of 

 marl, and lumps of a metallic kind of ore are found in all 

 the different kinds ; but no silicious stones or gravel are 

 found, except in one species, of which I have sent a sam- 

 ple, No. 20. The real genuine marl I suppose to be 

 those black and green particles resembling grains of gun- 

 powder. I have made use of a very simple method of 



