52 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 1_ 



which lend great supjiort to the opinion that marl 

 has the property ofpurilying the air ami contribu- 

 ting to heathiulness. He shites Iiis own experi- 

 ence in Uie following terms: "Mv princiiial fiirni, 

 until within .some iijur or five year?, was subj>'ct 

 in a remarkable degree to the com luon mild au- 

 lumnul diseiises of our low country. Whether it 

 is owing to marling, or other unknown causes, 

 these bilious diseas(>s have since become com[)ara- 

 tively rare. Neither does mj' opinion in this re- 

 spect, nor the libels that have occurred on my farm 

 Ftand alone. But,' hr^adds, "in n)ost rases where 

 I have made inriuiries as to such results, nothinij- 

 decisive had been observed.' There is no doubt 

 but that marl orlimelieely used, wherever, around 

 the dwellini;, around the out-bouses, the barn and 

 the stables, in the larm-yard, pens, &c., a quantity 

 of putrescent matter is always fjatbered together, 

 would have the efiect oCdiminishing the noxious 

 exhalations from such places, and thereby contri- 

 bute to the greater health of the adj(jinnig residen- 

 ces. The subject deserves the especial attention 

 of planters and farmers in all the lower counties. 



Inquiry has often been made, whether there are 

 not some superficial indication of the presence of 

 marl at a short distance below the soil ; such as the 

 appearance ofsome peculiar gi'owth. or of peculiar 

 plants: and the frequent occurrence of a really 

 anomalous vegetable formation, on the fbssililerous 

 deposites of both the eastern and western shore, 

 has led many [>ersons to regard it as a true index 

 of the vicinity of that valuable material, applyintr 

 to it the name of marl weed. The plant referred 

 to is however, well known, and its verv remarka- 

 able aspect would naturally attract the attention of 

 any one. It is a leafless weed, the stem of which 

 is single, erect, very rough and regularly articula- 

 ted, each articulation raising from atubular slieafh 

 6i)0ited witii black to its base and summit, ft is 

 the equisetum hijemah of botanists, which is im- 

 ported fi-oin Holland under the name of Dutch 

 rushes, and is nuich used by the whitesmiths and 

 cabinet-makers of Europe m polishino- metaisand 

 wood, and is there quite in demand lor scoin-inir 

 pewter and wooden utensils in the kitchen. As if 

 is found in many places where marl is not likely 

 to occur — atiecting deep loamy soils, especially 

 those that have been gained from rivers — it is of 

 course no evidence of the presence of n)arl; but 

 may serve lo indicate the goodness of the soil pro- 

 duced by a proper admixture of calcareous matter 

 with the sands and clays of the tertiary fbrma- 

 tiotis. 



There is not, and there cannot be expected, to 

 be found any such superficial indications of the de- 

 posite of t()ssils cons;ituting the marl-beds of Cal- 

 vert county. It is sulTicient to know that these 

 beds occur almost every where, and that the low- 

 ermost tbssiiiterons deposite actually constitutes 

 the substratum ol'tlie whole county, making its ap- 

 pearance wherever denudating causes liave strip- 

 |)ed it of its covering of sand, gravel and soil. In 

 some places, where the surface of the marl has 

 been lor along time exposed to the action of a 

 stream of water, the (bssils which it contained have 

 been washed out, leaving only their in)pressions. 

 '^i'he principal characters of the marl are in such 

 cases ohliteratedj but by digginir a few feet into 

 the bed, the shells themselves will invariably be 

 found, and the deposite will then yield a material 

 inferior to none otlier. I 



It is sincerely hoped, that enough has now been 

 said to induce the people of Calvert to turn their 

 serious attention to the early fruition of these re- 

 sources; and it belongs to ihe n)ore wealihy plan- 

 ters ol" the county to commence such operations as 

 in iheir results will exhibit, in the most saiisfiicio- 

 ry manner, all the benefits that may be derived 

 from then). The value of lime to the soils of 

 Calvert county has already been demonstrared in 

 the good effi^cts obtained by the Hon. Judge JVIoi- 

 sell, with the use of the shells from an Indian 

 bank, upon his estate. His example has been fol- 

 lowed by Mr. James Morsell, at the head ofllun- 

 geribrd's creek. An Indian shell bank of great 

 extent occurs also, as previously stated, at Hoilow- 

 ino; point, the enterprising proprietor of which has 

 expressed a willingness to dispose of its contents 

 to his less fortunate neighbours. These shells 

 could very profitably be distributed along both 

 shores of the river either in their present condition, 

 or in the more valuable form of lime into which 

 they might be converted at little expense. 



As yet the efficacy of the marl has not been tried 

 in the county; but tliere is every reason to be- 

 lieve that the many intellj(rent planters who have 

 now been made acquainted with iis exisience in 

 places whence it may be easily ex'racied, as well 

 as with its value, will not long sufTi^r it to remain 

 neglected. It is nmch to be regretted, tliat in the 

 only instance in which a trial of it was about to be 

 made with praiseworthy 7.en\, the gentleman en- 

 •rairefl in carrying on tiie operations, JMr. Geo. Wil- 

 kinson, should have found himself compelled to 

 desist by ill bea'ih. In avio'her year, however, 

 there wi'l no doubt be liirnished many examples 

 of the jjreat tienefits which the materia! is destined 

 to confer nron the soil of Calvert county, bringing 

 about a highly improved condition in agriculture 

 of this much favoured portion of the state. 



From tlie Lomtoii Morning Ilciald of Marcli 3. 

 TOBACCO TRADE. 



A deputation, consisiinir of JVIr. Maury and 

 Mr. Oxiey, reiireseniiny; the American Chamber 

 of Commerce and Tobacco Association at Liver- 

 pool, and of Mr. Russell and Mr. Wills, on behalf 

 of The manutiicturers of Bristol, is now in town 

 lor the p,urpose of obtaining a reduction in the 

 duty upon tobacco. For this reduction, they had 

 a powerful advocate in the late Mr. Huskisson; 

 and many of our renders will remember that it 

 was proposed by Lord Alfhorp, when chancellor of 

 the exchequer; he liiiled in carrying the reduc- 

 tion, from want of eiiicient aid boih in and out of 

 the House oi Commons; afiributable, as these 

 gentlemen allege, to a want of (he due understand- 

 ing of the subject. 



Since then, it has been dormant untilihe present 

 lime, when the excess of smuggling has reduced 

 ihe honest manufacturer to the alternativ^e of 

 abandoning his trade, and losing the value of his 

 machinery, or of once more attempting to wrest 

 from government the fulfilment of the oft repeated 

 promises of several successive administrations, 

 '• to place the t.^ade upon such a footing that the 

 profit and traffic of the smuggling would be anni- 

 halated.'' 



For the purpose of enforcing their arguments 

 in favor of the reduction of the duly, they have 



