1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



157 



means lor lortilization. Human excrt'mont, Avliicli 

 is scarcely used lit all in this country, is staled to be 

 even richer than that ol" birds; and 11" all liic eii- 

 richinix luatters were jireserved that are derived 

 not only li'oni the food, but Ironi all the habits of 

 man, there can be no question but that a town ol' 

 ten thousand iidiabitanis, liom those sources alone, 

 mijxht enrich more land than could be done i'rom 

 as many cattle. 



The opinions here presented are principally 

 Ibunded on the theory of the operation of calca- 

 reous maraires, as maintained in the (oregoing 

 part of this essay: but they are also sustained to 

 consideral)le extent by fiicts and experience. The 

 most undeniable practical proof of one of my po- 

 sitions, is the power of a cover of marl to pre- 

 vent the escape of all oHensive eflluvia from the 

 most putrescent animal matters. Of this power 

 J have made continued use for about ei<rhleen 

 months, and know it to be, more effectual than 

 quicklime, even if the destructive action of the 

 latter was not objectionable. Quicklime forms 

 new combinations with putrescentsubstances, and 

 in thus combinintT, throws ofl' effluvia, which 

 though different from the products of putrescent 

 matter alone, are still disagreeable and ofiisnsive. 

 Mild lime, on the contrary, absorbs and preserves 

 every thing — or at least prevents the escape of 

 any offiensive odor being perceived. Whether 

 putrescent •/egetable matter is acted on in like 

 manner by calcareous earth, cannot be as well 

 tested by our senses, and therefore the proof is less 

 satisfactory, liut if it is true that calcareous earth 

 acts by combining putrescent matters with the 

 soil, and thus preventin<r their loss, (as I have en- 

 deavored to prove in chapter viii.) it must follow, 

 that to the extc^.t of such combination, the forma- 

 tion and escape of all volatile products of putre- 

 faction will also be prevented. 



But it will be considered that the most impor- 

 tant inquiry remains to be answered. Has the ap- 

 plication of calcareous manures been found, in 

 practice, decidedly beneficial to the health of the 

 residents on the land? I answer, that long exjje- 

 rience, and the collection and comparison of nu- 

 merous facts, derived from various sources, will be 

 required to remove all doubts from this question; 

 and it would be presumtuous in any individual to 

 ofler, as sufficient proof, the experience of only ten 

 or twelve years on any one farm. Eut while ad- 

 mitting the insufficiency of such testimony, I as- 

 sert that, so far, my experience decidedly supports 

 my position. My principal farm, until within some 

 lour or five years, was subject in a remarkable de- 

 gree to the common mild autumnal diseases of our 

 low country. Whether it is owing to marling or 

 other unknown causes, these bilious diseases have 

 smce become comparatively very rare. Neither 

 does my opinion in this respect, nor the facts that 

 have occurred on my farm, stand alone. Some 

 other persons are equally convinced of this change 

 on other land as well as on mine. But in most 

 cases where 1 have made inquiries as to such re- 

 sults, nothing decisive had been observed. The 

 hope that other persons may be induced to ob- 

 serve and report facts bearing on this important 

 point, has in part caused the appearance of these 

 crude and perhaps premature views. [1833] 



Even if my opinions and reasoning should ap- 

 pear sound, I am aware that the practical appli- 

 cation is not to be looked for soon; and that the 



scheme of using marl in towns is more likely to 

 be met by ridicule, than to receive a serious and 

 attentive examination. Notwithstanding this an- 

 ticipation, and however hopeless of making con- 

 verts either of individuals or of corporate bodies, I 

 will ofliiM' a lew concluding remarks on the most 

 obvious objections to, and benefits of the plan. 

 The objections will all be resolved into one — 

 namely, the expeu.-je to be encountered. The ex- 

 pense certainly would be considerable; but it would 

 be amply compensated by the gains and benefits. 

 In the first place the general use of marl as pro- 

 posed lor towns, would serve to insure cleanliness, 

 and purity of the air, more than all the labor of 

 their Boards of Health and their scavenrrers, 

 even when acting under the dread of approach- 

 ing pestilence. Secondly, the putrescent manures 

 produced in towns, by being merely preserved 

 i'rom waste, would be increased ten-lbid in quan- 

 tity and value. Thirdly, all existing nuisances 

 and abominations of filth would be at end, and 

 the beautiful city of Kichmond (lor exam|)le) 

 would not give offence to our nostrils, almost as 

 often as it offers gratification to our eyes. Lastly, 

 the marl alter being used until saturated with pu- 

 trescent matter, would retain all its first value as 

 calcareous earth, and he well worth purchasing 

 and removing to the adjacent farms, independent 

 of the enriching manure with which it would be 

 loaded. If these advantages can indeed be ob- 

 tained, they would be cheaply bought at any 

 price necessary to be encountered for the purpose. 



Most of the foregoing part of this chapter 

 was first published in the Farmers' Register, (for 

 July 1833,) and as supplementary to this Essay. 

 That publication drew some attention liom others 

 to the subject, and served to elicit many impor- 

 tant facts, of which I had been beibre altogether 

 ignorant, in support of the operation of calcare- 

 ous earth in arrestinsr the efliscts of malaria, and 

 the usual autumnal diseases of the southern states, 

 and other similar regions. These fads, together 

 with the results of my own personal experience, 

 extended through two more autumns (or sickly 

 seasons as commonly called here and farther 

 south,) since the first publication of these views, 

 will now be submitted. Most of the facts deri- 

 ved li"om other persons relate to one region — the 

 "rotten limestone lands" of southern Alabama: 

 but that region is extensive, of remarkable and 

 well known character and pecullirities, and the 

 evidence comes fi-om various sources, and is full, 

 and consistent in purport. The lacts will be here 

 embodied, and the more important statements 

 from which they are drawn, will be presented 

 more fully in the Appendix. [See N.] 



The first fact brought out, was, that in the town 

 ofMobile, near the Gulf of Mexico, the streets ac- 

 tually had been paved with shells — thus present- 

 ing precisely such a case as I recommended; 

 though it had not been done with any view to 

 promoting cleanliness or health. The shells had 

 been used merely as a substitute for stones, which 

 not be so cheaply obtained. Nor had the greatly 

 improved heahhliness of Mobile since the streets 

 were so covered, (of which there is the most am- 

 ple and undoubted testimony,) been attributed to 

 that cause, until the publication of the foregoing 

 opinions served to connect them, as cause and 

 effect. This can scarcely be doubted by those 

 who will admit the theory of the action of calca- 



