236 HOW TO GET A FARM, 



These were on Long Island, and the largest was in 

 those which, there is some reason to believe, lie in 

 the same geological formation with those New Jer 

 sey counties in which there was the greatest increase. 

 Uniformly, the potato crop increased most where 

 marl existed. Mr. Cook says : 



&quot; The absolute worth of the marl to farmers it is 

 difficult to estimate. The region of country in 

 which it is found has been almost made by it. Be 

 fore its use the soil was exhausted, and much of the 

 land was so lessened in value that its price was but 

 little, if any, more value than that of Government 

 lands at the &quot;West ; while now, by the use of marl, 

 these worn-out soils have been brought up to more 

 than their native fertility, and the value of the 

 land increased from fifty to a hundred fold. In 

 these districts, as a general fact, the marl has been 

 obtained at little more cost than that of digging and 

 hauling but a short distance. There are instances, 

 however, in which large districts of worn-out land 

 have been wholly renovated by the use of this sub 

 stance, though situated from five to fifteen miles 

 from the marl beds, and when, if a fair allowance 

 is made for labor, the cost per bushel could not 

 have been less than from twelve to sixteen cents. 

 Instances are known where it has been thought re 

 munerative at twenty-five cents per bushel.&quot; 



A ton of marl is sometimes dug from under each 

 square foot of surface; at even half this rate, a 

 square mile will yield nearly 14,000,000 tons. The 

 quantity being thus inexhaustible, the price is con 

 sequently low. A right to dig a pit ten feet square 



