1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



723 



a disposition 1o be incredulous, as in relation to 



agricultiiral improvements. And it is owinij, inn 

 great measure, to this very incredulity, tiiat wliil.st 

 improvement in the mechanic arts, and in the li- 

 beral sciences, and indeed in almost every other 

 department oC lile, is rapidly atlvancinar, ajrricul- 

 ture, the most indispensfible oCall arts, is in many 

 parts ot' the country completely stationary. As 

 an instance ol" tins incredulity, I may stale the 

 fact, iliat when I commenced digging; in the 

 marshes lor nianure, I was regarded by my neigh- 

 bors as a visionary enthusiast, equally as mad as 

 one who should seelv llir perpetual motion, or the 

 philosopher's stone. Tlie negroes were amazed ; 

 the overseer expressed serious apprehensions that 

 the land would be killed ; and one of the lights ol' 

 the neighborhood in acrriculiure, completely con- 

 firmed his tears, by lellinii him that he had tried 

 it, and he had enough "dead land" already, with- 

 out attempting to " kill any more." It was in 

 vain that I quoted the high authority oCthe Ame- 

 rican Farmer, and Judge Johnson ; nothiuL' could 

 convince them of the eflicary oi' marsh-mud. I 

 had the satisli\ction, however, in the course of 

 about two months, of seeing prejudice and incre- 

 dulity completely subdued. Upon visiting my 

 farm, I was met by the overseer with a smilling 

 countenance, and inlbrmed that he was beginning 

 to be convinced that the mud might be of some 

 service ; for the weeds were much higher upon 

 ihe land where the mud had been put, than u|)on 

 that adjacent to it, which was originally much 

 better. And upon visiiing it, a few days ago, 

 I found him entirely convinced by a thick growth 

 of crab grass, upon the Jand covered with the 

 " marsh," whilst the surrounding vegetation 

 was much less luxuriant. 



But to return from this digression : your corre- 

 spondent may remove the doubts that are now en- 

 tertained, as to the practicability of manuring on 

 an extensive scale, and perhaps stimulate to ex- 

 ertion many who are slumbering in indolence by 

 staling the extent of the improvement effected 

 upon a few particular farms, by the use of the 

 means referred to; the condition and quality of 

 the soil before the improving process was com- 

 menced ; the amount of labor and capital expend- 

 ed ; the crops made upon the land formerly, 

 compared with its present productions ; and whe- 

 ther the use of these means is supposed to have 

 had any peculiar effect in adapting the soil to the 

 growth of the beautiful white wheat for which the 

 Eastern Shore of Maryland is fo justly celebrat- 

 ed. This mformation in the community in which 

 he resides may seem entirely unimportant, but he 

 may be assured that to a large portion of Eastern 

 Virginia, it is calculated to be of vast service. We 

 have here a soil originally fertile, but much im- 

 poverished by a long course of barbarous cultiva- 

 tion. The means ot resuscitating are at hand, if 

 the public attention were only turned to them. 

 And no greater service could "be rendered to the 

 cause of agricuUure, than to convince the farmers 

 in this part of the country of the natural advan- 

 tages which they possess. They would thus be 

 urged, i( not by necessity, yet by reason, to exer- 

 tion ; with the hope not only of securing a compe- 

 tence, but of accumulating wealth, and by the 

 desire which the loftier considerations of patriotism 

 might inspire, of improving, fertilizing, and adorn- 

 ing their native land. 



I (ear that I have trespassed too far already 



upon the politeness of your correspondent, but I 

 nuist ask inlormation on one other subject. Can 

 the "rotted marsh" found in the natural "compost 

 beds" of which he speaks, be applied with safety 

 or advantage immediately to a growing crop? 

 Or does it require exposure to the atmosphere be- 

 Ibre it is fit l()r application? I am induced to make 

 this inquiry because, in pursuing the instructions 

 of Judge .Johnson, in relation to marsh mud, I 

 had applied a (]uantity of this "compost" (of 

 which I have inexhaustible beds) early in the 

 summer to land which I intended to fallinn for 

 wheat, and I was surprised to find, contrary to my 

 expectations, that the vegetation was greatly ad- 

 vanced, almost immediately upon its application, 

 and at this time the land exhibits unequivocal in- 

 dications of very great improvement. I was led 

 to infer from this circumstance, that Judge John- 

 son's instructions might have relisrence to a sub- 

 ject entirely different ; and reasoning from analo- 

 cry I concluded that this manure might be bene- 

 ficial, when applied fresh to growing crops. But 

 all arguments li-om analogy are more or less fal- 

 lacious, and I should be n)uch better satisfied with 

 the experience of your practical correspondent. 



Potomac. 



BIARSH-3IUn, ETC. 



Talbot county, Eastern Shore-, Md. } 

 October 12, 1831. 5 



Mr. Smith— \ do not know how I can more sa- 

 tisfisctorily answer the polite call of " Potomac" 

 than by giving some account of improvements 

 made on one of the farms alluded to in my last, 

 by the application of bank-shells, sea-ware, 

 marsh-mud, and heads of creeks, aided by a well 

 conducted farm-yard. These have been so re- 

 markable as to have had a beneficial effect in this 

 county, and I think such examples should be 

 made known as widely as possible for general 

 benefit. 



I select this farm, Enierson^s Point, in particu- 

 lar, because no one can pretend that capital had 

 any agency in restoring its fertility. It hes near 

 the mouth of Mile's river, emptying into the 

 Eastern-branch of the Chesapeake bay, and con- 

 tains two hundred and seventy-five acres. It was 

 purchased by the father of the present proprietor, 

 Mr. Wm. Hambleton, about the year 1790, at 

 40s. Md. currency — 5.33 dollars, per acre, — and 

 was occupied by a tenant, as it had been for two 

 or three generations, until the year 1808, when the 

 proprietor married and settled on it. The soil is a 

 stiii' yellow clay — growth chiefly pine ; it was 

 worn down to the lowest state of sterility : a con- 

 siderable portion had been suHtjred to run into 

 pine thickets, where the corn ridges are still visi- 

 ble ; and it was nearly destitute of the buildings 

 indispensable to a farmer. But the means of im- 

 provement were at hand : the proprietor knew 

 their value, and lost no time in availing himself 

 of them. He had no capital of any kind : but he 

 was young, skilful and industrious. Having no 

 slaves he commenced with two hired hands, and, 

 occasionally, tvvo boys, two horses and a yoke of 

 oxen. The arable land was one hundred and 

 twenty-nine acres, but his operations, for many 

 years, were confined to ninety-nine acres — a poor 



