FARMERS' REGISTER— MARSH MUD AS MANURE. 



93 



fllARSII MUD AS MANURE. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Qacen- Ami's county, Eastern Shore of Md. 



To a query in your last "Register" in relation 

 to niarsli mud, I answer, tliat 1 liave ior several 

 years i^ed marsh mud with gi-eat success. My 

 estate lies on a salt-water river, and marsh mud 

 has never tailed in any application I have made of 

 it. . I prefer it from small inlets which make irom 

 the river into my lijelds, which liave been long in 

 cuhivalion, as it is improved by tiie deposite li'om 

 the uplands; but I find it ver}- vtduable from the 

 salt marsh,-. where it has had no such improve- 

 ment. Wheat, Indian corn, oals, and cJover 

 grow kiiidly from its ellects, and I deem it more 

 valuable than barn yard manure. 



I would recommend to your correspondent to 

 begin with ;i small experiment, as it has bot uni- 

 Ibrmly in this county answered expectations. A 

 friend of mine, who resides on Chestelriver, some 

 jears ago carried out a large quantity, from whicji 

 he derived but little benefit, and for which, I have 

 been unable to account, unless it be that the wa- 

 tei-s of the Wye, (where I reside) are much' saltcr 

 than lliose of "the Chester. 



I have apiece of hilly Iiuid, though not broken 

 by gullies, in one of my fields, the cultivation of 

 which had been for many years abandoned, on 

 account-of its sterility: th« adjacent land by means 

 of marl, I had ;^qt into a state of lertihty, but this 

 being a cold soil, Avilh much gravel in i-t, I did not 

 deem it in a state to be improved by marl. In 

 1831, I covered it with 'marsh mud, of good quali- 

 ty, about seventy loads to' the acre,' and put it in 

 wheat in the fall, but the whole of itljeing covered 

 with sedge, I could not put it in a good state of 

 lireparatiqu: I nevertheless-reaped -a tolerable crop, 

 by estimation Irom- tlie shocks about ten bushels 

 to the acre. Last year though -the season was 

 unfavorable, it produced a good crop of Indian 

 corn. It is now in oals and clover, and promises 

 a fine croj). Though I have plenty of shell marl, 

 lor immediate profit, I prefer marsh mud: if is 

 more accessible, its effects are quicker, and much 

 more can be done in the way of improvement for 

 the same money. At the same time I confess, 

 that the permanent advantages of marl arc mucli 

 greater, and I think marl and marsh mud will both 

 fee improved by combination. My present pro- 

 ject is to' cover my fields convenient to the river, 

 with mtirsh mud, wlijch I have in part effected: 

 should I live to accomplish it, I shall consider my 

 estate imj^roved an hundred per tjent. 



I am sorry to bear witness that the lands on the 

 Eastern Shore of Maryland, like those of lower 

 Virginia, are greatly impoverished, and that no- 

 thuig can prevent the depopulation of a country, 

 once fertile and still dear to us, but an improved 

 system of agriculture, in the promotion of which, 

 I think your Register well calculated to contribute. 



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OBSKRVATIOKS ON TirE PRESENT CONDITION 

 OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



From llie Southeni AgricnUvirist. 



The present crisis m our national affciirs is cer- 

 tainly one, which ^the southern planter must re- 

 gartl with the most ^Kiinful anxiety. It is one 



l)regnantwi^ consequence of the greatest import- 

 tance to the nation at large. A dark and threat- 

 ening cloud hangs over our land, and whether we 

 shall be visited witli tlie whirlwind and the tem- 

 pest, or whether it- shall pass by, and the sunshine 

 of peace and contentment again illumine our pros- 

 pects, yet remains in the womb of futurity; but it 

 behoves us to be prepared for either event. If it 

 be ordained that "the tornado shall sweep over our 

 land, and our fair prospects of wealth and of 

 greatness shall be blasted, we shall not be the 

 worse off, for having contemplated the probability 

 of such an event, and lor having endetivoured to 

 avert its lui^^ Should our fears, however, prove 

 groundlcssj and the rumbling- of the distant thun- 

 der ccase'-to agitate our minds, yet shall we be 

 benefited by having been prej)ared for it. It is not 

 our intention to enter into any discussion on the 

 gi'eat question which now agitates and distracts 

 our councils. . Our present object is merely to 

 throw out a few hints, which may perchance be 

 of use to Some of our planters. - ' 



It is a well known fiict, that the quantity of cot- 

 ton already grown is lldly equtd to the co;"i&ump' 

 tion, and by many, it is believed, to exceed it. It 

 is also ^vell known to our planters, that at the pre- 

 sent prices, it is far from being a crop, which makes 

 a good return for the capital vested in it. It is, we 

 believe, a losing business to many — we say a 

 losing business,:*br we consider all such, which 

 does not yield us that interest on our capital, whicfi ' 

 we could obtain fnr it in other pursuits. If such 

 be the cas^e, and we think there are few who will 

 deh}' it, it will require hut a small share of discern- 

 ment to ascertain, that it has become necessar}' for 

 us to retrench our expenses as far as possible, tluit 

 we should live as much within our income a.s it is 

 practicable; and that we should commence a sys- 

 tem of frugality and economy, not only on our 

 plantations, but even in our veiy families; . nay, 

 more, it may be<necessary in many instances to 

 push this even-to extremes. W^e are aware how 

 much easier it is to lay- down rules for our conduct 

 tlian to practice them; we are aware that it is not 

 an easy task for us after having been accustomed 

 to a certain style -of living, to descend to that 

 which we consider, inferior, that it is not an easy 

 .matter for us to relinquish those luxuries, which, 

 from long indulgence, we have been brought to 

 consider, as the very necessaries of life. 



There is a species of pride which prompts us to 

 imitate the'luxuries of the wealthy, and to imitate 

 if not exceed, the style of our neighbors, and this, 

 too, when we very oflen know that the conse- 

 quences will be pernicious, if not ruinous; and it 

 very often occurs that the deeper we are involved, 

 the more anxious do we become to conceal it from 

 the world, and the more strenuous to maintain the 

 same showy appearance. We cannot brook the 

 idea that our more wealthy neighbor (who by the 

 by, may be in equally as bad circumstances as 

 oiu-selves) should look down on us with pity, if not 

 ■ -with contempt. We cannot bear the thought that 

 the wbrjdshould know that we are not as wealthy 

 as it was wilhng to believe us to be, and thus lose 

 the importance attached to our riches. But surely 

 this is a false pride. Neither the dignity nor the 

 usefulness of a man consists in tlje extent of his 

 possessions, and it is surely more praiseworthy for 

 him, to exerta^small portion of his firmness, and at 

 once clieck hia mad career, than to continue the 



