FARMERS' REGISTER. 



491 



22. Taking such general grounds for the estimate as may be satisfactory to your own judgment, 

 etate what you suppose to be the annual value of the present general ov average gross product of grain, 

 or other marketable products of the fields in cultivation, of the land marled, caused by, and owing to 

 marling — per acre, and also in total amount annually from the whole farml 



23. Does your experience or observation serve to contradict any of the important theoretical opi- 

 nions in regard to the action of marl, or statements of actual results in practice, as presented in the 

 "recapitulation" embraced in pages 53 to 5Q of 'Essay on Calcareous Manures' — and if so contra- 

 dicting, in what particulars ? 



I. Answers to the foregoing queries, by James B. 

 Cocke, of Bonaccord. 



Answer to query \st. — In 1820 or '21, as a regular 

 business. A small experiment had been made 

 by my grandfather, James Cocke, and all know- 

 ledge of it /orgotten many years before.* 



* This very old experiment, made nearly or quite 

 seventy years ago, and deemed a failure and forgotten 

 until within the last twenty, was stated as below, at 

 page 89 of ' Essa}' on Calcareous Manures.' Within 

 the last few weeks the reporter revisited this spot, and 

 saw that it still exhibited a decided superiority over all 

 the immediately surrounding land, which, with the 

 farm generally, had been marled, and all very much en- 

 riched, since the first publislied account of this curious 

 and valuable fact. — Ed. 



"The two old experiments described at page 36, 

 though the only applications of fossil shells known to 

 me, previous to the commencement of my use of this 

 manure, were not all which had been made, and which 

 being deemed failures, had been abandoned and for- 

 gotten. Another, within a few miles of my residence, 

 was brought to light and notice afterwards, by an old 

 negro, who was perhaps the only person then living 

 who had any knowledge of facts. After I had found 

 enough success in using this manure to attract to it 

 some attention, Mr. Thomas Cocke of Aberdeen was 

 one of those who began, but still with doubt and he- 

 sitation, to use marl to some considerable extent. One 

 of his early applications was to the garden. The old 

 gardener opposed this, and told his master that he 

 knew " the stuff was good for nothing, because when 

 he was a boy, his old master (Mr. Cocke's father) had 

 used some at Bonaccord, and it had never done the least 

 good." Being asked whether he could show the spot 

 where this trial had been made, he answered that he 

 could easily, as he drove the cart which carried out the 

 marl. The place was immediately sought. It was on 

 the most elevated part of a very poor field, which had 

 been cleared and exhausted fully a century before. The 

 marled space (a square of about half an acre) though 

 still poor, was at least twice as productive as the sur- 

 rounding land, though a slight manuring from the farm- 

 yard had been applied a few years before to the sur- 

 rounding land, and omitted on this spot, which was sup- 

 posed to have been, from its appearance, the site oi 

 some former dwelling liouse, of which every evidence- 

 had disappeared except the permanent improvemenl 

 of the soil usual from that cause. A close examina- 

 tioa showed some fragments of the hardest shells, so 

 as to prove that the old man had not mistaken the 

 spot. This, like other early applications, had been 

 made on a spot too poor for marl to show but very 

 small early effects ; and as only one kind of operaticn 

 of any manure was then thought of, (that which dung 

 produces,) it is not strange that both the master and 

 servant should have agreed in the opinion that the ap- 

 plication was useless, and have remained under tliat 

 opinion until almost all remembrance of the experi- 

 ment had been lost." 



2cZ.— My elder brother, Thomas P. Cocke, until 

 his death, in 1832. Since, my property, and un- 

 der my direction. 



Zd. — 450 acres. 



Aih. — 250 acres — much poorer. 



5th. — To 1830, there had been about 175 acres 

 marled ; since, as much more as make 575 acres 

 in all ; which is all the arable and cultivated 

 high-land except about 100 acres. 



Qth. — About 45 per cent, as a general average. 

 Some of it much richer. 



1th. — None known or suspected. 



Sth. — None, except more than usual of large 

 lumps of coral. 



9<A.— About 280 before 1832. Since, 350 usually. 



lOi/iand IKA.— None. 



\2th. — The three-shili rotation, 1 corn, 2 wheat on 

 besi parts only, and 3 rest, without grazing. 

 Considered as preservative of fertility, if not ac- 

 tually improving. 



IZth. — The same rotation continued, with clover 

 more recently; until within a kw years, when 

 changed to the four-shift rotation, with two 

 grain crops and two years' rest under clover. 

 But little grazing allowed. 



lAth. — About 100 per cent, on first crop ; and con- 

 tinuing to increase more afterwards. 



\5th. — Increased invariably. Of the oldest marl- 

 ings, the present increased product from twiee 

 to three times as great as stated above of the 

 first crop. 



\Qth. — I believe the improvement already made to 

 be permanent,and never will be diminished under 

 the present or any cultivation not more exhaust- 

 ing- 



llth. — No damage, except by being " marl-burnt," 

 and that only in small spots, where too heavily 

 dressed for the circumstances of the land. This 

 disease only produced on acid, poor, s«ndy or 

 gravelly soils, and by too much marl for such 

 ground. 



lS//t. — Vegetable or other putrescent manures be- 

 lieved to be more efficacious, and certainly much 

 more durable. Have not tried any other mine- 

 ral manure after marl. 



19</i — Excluding the low-grounds (now 39 acres) 

 which have never been mailed, the average 

 product in corn supposed to have been 7 bushels 

 the acre. 



•10th. — 27 bushels, on the marled land. 



•21sL— 150 to 200 bushels, on each shift of whole 

 farm, including the low-grounds (then 50 acres, 

 some having since been sold.) No high-land 

 formerly brought wheat, except the manured and 

 enriched lot land around the houses. Recently 

 the crops Irom 600 to 900 bushels. 



22£/.— Not quite ^\0 the acre on the Ifind under 



