416 



FARMERS' R EGIST E R 



rous, even considering it, as it was then and pre- 

 viously, the most in)|ioitatil and ahnost sole itisii- 

 tuiion of learning oC liigh order ol' all Virgmiii, 

 and which received students also, ever}' jear, 

 from every souiiiern and eouth-vvosiern state cl 

 (he confederacy. From 60 to 70 students in the 

 scientific and law classes served lor this state oT 

 prosperity. It was rare for a student to be sent 

 I'rom the adj;iceni counties, and then only from 

 houses wliose fortunes were declining, and never 

 Irom one where recent industry had served to pro- 

 duce wealih. The people generally were poor and 

 ignorant, and too ignorant to prize education for 

 their sons, even wlien abundantly able to pay its 

 price. The money brought by the students of the 

 college was almost entirely a foreign supply, and 

 served as an important aid to the support of the 

 village, and its adjacent country. Even this aid 

 was lost, when, for causes not necessary to be 

 here slated, the college afterwards declined so much 

 as to have less than 20 students a year. 



IJut when ev-ery thing else was at the lowest 

 state of depression, marling had been commenced 

 some years before by a few proprietors, and the 

 improvement was slowly, but at a yearly increas- 

 ing rate of progress, advancing over the neigh- 

 boring country, which was eminently suited to be 

 so improved, in consequence of the natural cha- 

 racter of the soil, as well as because of the good 

 quality of, and easy access to the marl beds. In 

 a lew years almost every proprietor was marling, 

 to some extent ; and most persons near Williams- 

 burg have now marled the greater part, or all, of 

 their cultivated lands. 



It is not our purpose here to stale the particu- 

 lars of any improvements and profits made by 

 marling. We hope to receive a report of that 

 description from a gentleman who has promised it, 

 and who is well qualified by experience as an im- 

 prover, as well as by his other sources of informa- 

 tion, to present the marling statistics ol"his part of 

 the country. It is enougli here to state generally 

 what we have recently learned in that neighbor- 

 hood. 



The present fertility of the formerly very poor 

 lands is not only great relatlvehj, but absolutely. 

 The crops are good, even without reference to, 

 and comparison with, the former miserable pro- 

 ducts; the change from vvhch appears so wonderful 

 to those who now visit the country for the first 

 lime after 20 or 30 years' absence. The crops are 

 from double to quadruple their former rates, and of 

 course the net profits of culture are far more in- 

 creased. The prices of land have also risen near- 

 ly as much as its product, or as its means for im- 

 pruvemcnt ofl!er, even in advance of tlie actual 

 marling. The fbrmcrly pnor cultivators ha\e not 



only improved in wealth, but still more in the man* 

 ner of using their wealth. They prize education, 

 and ;ire now sending their sons lo fill the college, 

 which ilieir fathers made no use of. The same 

 cause is vvorkidg throughout lower Virginia, 

 though not so perceptibly as here; and, whde we 

 give full credit to the refurmaiion and improvement 

 of this inslilulion of learning itself and highly ap- 

 preciate the lerirning and worth of its prolessors, 

 and the value of its regulations and discipline, we 

 still believe that to marling the College of 

 VVilliam and Mary owes much of its progressive 

 increase vviihinsevenyears, of from only 17 students 

 in 1S34 to 140 at the present session.* The profes- 

 sors, and the course of instruction, might have 

 had all their great and acknowledged value; but 

 as vainly as in former times would these advantages 

 have been ofi'ered lo the people of the adjacent 

 country, if their increase of wealih had not produced 

 among lathers a demand for, and also ihe means 

 of supplying scientific education for their eons. 



Williamsburg, for the greater part, still presents 

 the appearance of a town in decay. For al- 

 though the prices ol lots and houses are tripled, a 

 few years will not suffice to repair such extensive 

 delapidaiions as had been permitted to take place. 

 But there are sufficient indications now that repair 

 is in fast progress, and resuscitation close at hand. 

 Not only have many of the old and in some cases 

 ruinous buildings been thoroughly repaired, but 

 new and costly houses have been recently erect- 

 ed ; and it is manifest that this ancient city (in 

 rank, though but a village in size,) which was 

 beauiiliil even in decay, and when almost in ruins, 

 before long will exhibit the difiieranl kind of beau- 

 ty of newness and of grovving prosperity. The 

 trade of the place has risen to importance, and its 

 merchants are highly respectable and wealthy. 

 And tliis great change of the slate of trade, 

 though now greatly aided by the piesent prospe- 

 rity of the college, had commenced, and had pro- 

 ceeded far, while the college was actually sinking. 



The support and, we trust, the fruiis of religion 

 have been increased as much and as manifestly as 

 other benefits; and we hope not lo be charged 

 with being wanting in reverence for religion, when 

 we assert that its service also has been as es- 

 sentially promoted by marling, as we have 



* The following statement shows the number of stu- 

 dents, and the rate of increase, in the seven last years. 

 Ill the session of 1833-4 there were 17 students, 

 1834-5 48 



1835-6 67 



1836-7 113 



1837 8 lia 



1838-9 132 



l?39-40 140 



