184 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 3 



cent, on previous products, as is found on soils na- 

 turally poor, and of much less value than these. 

 But much of this land could be marled so cheap- 

 ly, that an increased clear product of only one 

 bushel of wheat (at present prices) or 200 lbs. of 

 clover-hay, would amount to near or quite 100 per 

 cent, of annual and permanent profit on the in- 

 vestment. On the gray lands (unless marled from 

 the black,) the expense would be greater, and 

 likewise the product, as these lands evidently need 

 marl to neutralize their acid quality, as well as to 

 store up and fix putrescent matters. On the poor 

 high-lands there are many farmers using marl; 

 and what is the more gratifying, and the stronger 

 evidence of the manifest profitable returns, I was 

 told that it is mostly among the poorer class of 

 farmers that these improvements are to be found. 

 Marl is found in almost every ravine cutting 

 through the high-land, and along the whole Ches- 

 apeake side of its steep slope. In the black low- 

 grounds, the ordinary ditching, of two and a half 

 feet depth, often reaches the marl, and sometimes 

 it forms the bottom of a ditch for half a mile to- 

 gether. If all the ditches were deepened, the 

 same operation would serve to drain the land bet- 

 ter, of subterraneous spring water, (which opera- 

 tion is much needed.) and to furnish marl, in the 

 cheapest manner, for all the adjacent ground. If 

 there were any need to increase the already great 

 facilities lor water conveyance, level navigable ca- 

 nals, might be extended from any one river to an- 

 other, or all the way from York river to the head 

 of North river, by digging not more than from 6 

 to 10 and very rarely perhaps 14 fiiet, and the low- 

 er pait would be in solid marl throughout; and, 

 thus, if properly located, and on a general and 

 uniform plan, the same excavations which would 

 be profitably made for obtaining marl alone, would 

 also furnish deep drains for the land, which would 

 be very beneficial, and also might carry any desi- 

 rable depth of tide water, andnavigation, at the 

 same time. I merely mention this as illustrating 

 the remarkable natural facilities offered for these 

 operations; and not to recommend their being thus 

 combined. For though, even on such a combined 

 plan, the marling here could be effected far cheap- 

 er than in most other places, where that is the 

 sole object, yet it may be done here much cheap- 

 er still, by digging in the spots where the marl is 

 nearest the surface, or nearest to the land on 

 which it is to be applied. High as the stratum of 

 marl lies, still it is beneath the surfice and level of 

 land naturally wet, and seldom sufficiently drain- 

 ed. Of course the marl is wet, and usually after 

 being dug into, two or three feet, furnishes enouffh 

 water for permanent wells. These difficulties are 

 greatly and erroneously magnified by the imagi- 

 nation of those even who desire to use marl, or 

 who have tried digging at "leisure '.inies," (that 

 is in winter, or wet weather, unfit for cultivating 

 the soil,) and always without any proper plan for 

 keeping water from impeding the work. It is al- 

 ways important, for saving labor, and for marlinof 

 cheaply, and to any great extent, that wet dig- 

 gings should be drained as effectually as the loca- 

 tion admits; and, every where, that the marling 

 should be carried on as a regular and continued 

 work, throughout the year, or through all the best 

 eeaeon of it. But no where woidd more advan- 

 tage be gained by loUowing these two rules than 

 herej and by the neglect of both, in every case, 



great obstacles to the work have been created^ 

 and suffered to operate most injuriously. No 

 general plan for excavating marl in such situations 

 can be prescribed in advance of practice, and 

 wiihout some experience of the nature and cir- 

 cumstances of the bed; but I may venture to as- 

 sert that the cost of pitting marl here would be re- 

 duced lo half of that of any of the work already 

 executed, by attending to the following general 

 directions. First — to sink, (i-om the intended pits, 

 a ditch, to bring off tlie water, as low as an outlet 

 can be well obtained; and that would generally 

 be as low as the tide water. Secondly, to keep 

 the area of excavation as well drained as possible. 

 And thirdly, to keep at work regularly throughout 

 the year, or to suspend operations only during the 

 depth of winter, if that season should be attended 

 with much increased difficulty. Without thus 

 making it a regular and continuous job of work, 

 I may venture to foretel that no man will do 

 much at marling on the Gloucester low-grounds. 

 The most that has yet been done, except on a 

 very few farms, is in carting off the ditch-banks, 

 to level them, as well as lor manuring; and as 

 many parts of these are mixed largely with marly 

 the earth gives calcareous, as well as enriching 

 manure. In any such mixture, however, the share 

 of benefit due to the marl alone cannot be exactly 

 known; and it is therefore seldom fully appreciat- 

 ed. But, whether it is owing to this chance- 

 made and little-valued admixture of marl, or other- 

 wise, all persons are satisfied of the profit of 

 using, as manure, rich banks of ditches, scrapings 

 around old dwellings, (which here are always cal- 

 careous, with oyster-shells as well as ashes); and 

 these manures have been used and are still in the 

 course of application, to great extent. Many of 

 these applications are, in fact, marling, or adding 

 calcareous earth to the soil; though that, the 

 most important action of the manure, is neverdn- 

 ly appreciated, and sometimes perhaps not even 

 known by the persons deriving the benefit. 



Wheat is considered here a more uncertain crop 

 than in general, and especially on the black lands. 

 Indeed, one of the best cultivators and most suc- 

 cessful and judicious farmers, the deceased Philip 

 Tabb, pronounced that these black lands would 

 not do for wheat-culture ; and his opinions had so 

 much weight, that it was one of the causes why 

 barley was made, for a long time, almost exclu- 

 sively the small-grain crop after corn. All this re- 

 gion is colder in spring than on the tide waters of 

 James river, owinir to the great exposure to east- 

 erly winds, and their prevalence. I suspect a still 

 greater cause of injury to the wheat is the want of 

 draining, notwithstanding all the labor and care 

 used for that object; and the land being always, in 

 winter and spring, injured b)- excess of water, 

 eitlier on the surface, from rains, or by suckiug up 

 moisture fi"om the veins of springs below, and 

 which may be reached by shallow digg-ing every- 

 where. Both of these evils are perfectly within 

 the farmer's power to remove ; and with their re- 

 moval, I think that much of the supposed unfit- 

 ness of tlie black lands for wheat will disappear. 



Next to corn, barley had here long been the 

 most important market crop ; and I have never 

 heard of its being successfully raised elsewhere in 

 Virginia, or even a single trial succeeding well 

 enough to induce repetition, except on the similar 

 black lands of Back river, where also it has been 



