FARMERS' REGISTER 



679 



escnpe of heal whirh is apt to jrenerate pppeeially 

 when the hill is first made. The coveririir of 

 Gtrnw should first be made light, and then in- 

 creased as ihe weather grows colder. The hole 

 should be so made ihat water will not remain and 

 eettle on the bottom. B. S. 



REMAKKS ON THE SOU.S AKD MARLING OF 

 THE PAHIUNKKY LANDS. INTUODUCTOUY 

 TO THK QUERIKS ANI3 ANSWERS TliEREON, 



By the Editor. 



Tfie borders of the Pamuokey river are of pe- 

 culiar and singular character. The flats extend 

 generally from a mile to two, and sometimes even 

 three miles in width, from the river, the high- 

 land or blufFs rarely, though sometimes, approach- 

 ing on either side near to the water. The flats are 

 divided, in common parlance, into the loio grounds 

 proper, and the second low-grounds, which rise to 

 a much greater elevation than the (brmer, and ge- 

 nerally t)y nn abrupt and marked transition. 

 Though the low-<xrounds next the river are gene- 

 rally from .3 to 10 ((>,ct above high tide, a large por- 

 tion is subject to be inundated by freshes, which 

 sometimes, thou<zh rarely, rise many feet above the 

 highest tide. This subjection to freshes, so un- 

 common on any of our tuie-water rivers, is caused 

 by the peculiar and remarkable narrowness of the 

 Pamunkey, and iis very crooked and meandering 

 course. These natural causes, which cannot be 

 avoided, are much increased by the artificial ob- 

 structions to the course of the water, formed by 

 fish-weirs and traps, and fallen trees. If these 

 were cleared away, and the trees on the margin 

 removed, it is piobable that the highest freshes 

 would be reduced to several feet at least below the 

 heiiihts known antl expected. 



Though the greater part of the low-grounds 

 and all of the second low-grounds are elevated i'ar 

 above any possible height of the water, in the 

 present age. it is not the less manifo.st that the soil 

 was originally deposited by alluvion. This great 

 operation of nature, like similar effects on the 

 lower James river, could only have been produced 

 when both the height and volume of the water 

 very fiir surpassed the present slate of things. 

 But it IS proper to bear in mind this ancient forma- 

 tion by alluvion, as it serves to account for the pe- 

 culiar characters of the soil, in respect to its uniform 

 features and original (eriility. 



The soil of the Pamunkey low-srounds, both 

 first and second, though formerly reduced almost 

 every where to a low rate of product, was un- 

 doubtedly rich in its virgin state, but in a much 

 less degree than the James river low-grounds, 

 and others of the highest grade of original value. 

 All verbal testimony is in support of tin's position. 

 But still stronger evidence than such traditional 

 accounts is presented, to my understanding, by the 

 characteristics of the land, whether still continuing 

 exhausted, or where recently again fertilized. All 

 these lands are very light, from excess of sand; 

 but all, so far as I was informed by report, were 

 enough kind to clover, even before being marled, 

 to justify the culture of that grass, where enough 

 putrescent manures were applied ; and gypsum, 

 where tried, (on Chericoke,) was found to be 

 Vol. V1II.-86 



beneficial to and profitable on clover. These two 

 characteristics would be enough for me, any where 

 in the tide- water region, to prove that such soil was 

 neutral, and had been originally rich. 



But though there is much uniformity in the ge- 

 neral character of the Pamunkey low-lands, there 

 is also much difiierence of quality and of value in 

 minor points. Some of the land, as at Chericoke, 

 was ol chocolatr-rolored or mulatto soil ; on other 

 parts, and especially higher up the river, that pe- 

 culiar mark of value was wanting, and the soil 

 was inferior, though still of good original quality. 

 In addition to the happy natural constitution of the 

 Pamunkey sni^s in regard to fertility, ami improve- 

 ment by gypsum, and still more by putrescent 

 manures, tiieir lightness makes (hem easy to till, 

 and easy to he relieved of superabundant moisture. 

 The latter effect is also aided by the form of the 

 surface, which is generally very slightly undulat- 

 ing, instead of being as level as its original (brma- 

 tion might indicate. 



But with all these advantages, there is one 

 other which I would have supposed these soils (in 

 common with other good neutral soils) would 

 have wanted ; that is, a capacity, such as the baser 

 acid soils have, for being improved speedily, and in 

 a high degree, by the application of marl. Such 

 would have been my deduction, founded on expe- 

 rience of the operation of manures merely calca- 

 reous. But the marls which underlie these Pa- 

 munkey low-lands are universally mixed with 

 green-eand; and from that compound a degree of 

 effect and of profitable improvement has been de- 

 rived, equal to that from pure calcareous marl on 

 acid soils elsewhere. 



I shall not here repeat the opinions and infer- 

 ences in regard to green-sand which I have pre- 

 sented at several places in past volumes of the 

 'Farmers' Register;' nor will I, at this time, spe- 

 culate, without light, on the hidden cause of the 

 mysterious manuring operation of this earth; 

 though my former views would be stiil more sus- 

 tained by the facts which are elicited by the most 

 recent observations. To this interesting and im- 

 portant subject I will hereafter recur, after hav- 

 ing presented all the facts which will go either to 

 confirm or overthrow theoretical views, and the 

 ILincies and vagaries of what are dignified by the 

 name of scientific investigations of this subject. It 

 wdl be merelj' necessary now to advert concisely 

 to some of the general fiicts before observed, and 

 also some of the groimds which I have hereto.'bre 

 maintained, and which even those of my readers 

 who saw them when first presented could not be 

 expected to remeniber now. 



I do not pretend to know the cause, or how to 

 explain the remarkaltle and mysterious operation, 

 of green-sand as manure. In this respect, i rea- 

 dily confess my entire ignorance. Yet, my ad- 

 milted ignorance is not greater than that of 

 the geologists who have flourished so much on 

 this subject, and have commanded respect for their 

 crude opinions, by presuming on the greater igno- 

 rance, and greater modesty and delijrence to 

 learned authority, of the agricultural community. 

 The attributing the particular fertilizing effects of 

 green-sand to the small contents of potash is aa 

 little supported by reason, as the assertion of the 

 general operation of green-sand on all soils and 

 all crops is by fads. Up to this time, and with 

 the exception of the experience of Mr. Williams 



