684 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



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

 '« recapitulation" embraced in pages 53 to 56 of 'Essay on Calcareous Manures' — and if bo contra- 

 dicting, in what particulars 1 



I. jfnswcrs to the queries on the use of marl by ] 

 William F. IVickham, of Hanover county, in 

 regard to his South Wales farm. 



Answer to 1st query. — The use of marl was com- 

 menced on my plantation in 1820. 



2d.— It was my property, under the general ma- 

 nagement of an overseer, subject to such orders 

 as I gave on occasional visits till 1827 — from 

 which time 1 have been residing on it. 



Zd. — There were, when I began to marl, about 

 600 acres cleared on the plantation. I have 

 since added by purchase 400 of open land, 

 making in ail 1000 acres, consisting oi' Pamun- 

 key low-grounds and second low-grounds or ta- 

 ble land in cultivation. 



Ath. — I have cleared some 15 or 20 acres of the 

 came description, but inferior originally to the 

 rest of the plantation. 



6i7i.— The annual progress in marling has been 

 irregular. Less was done by my overseer than 

 has been done by my?elf since my residence 

 here. I have now marled upwards of 900 acres. 



tth.— The proportion of carbonate of lime in my 

 marl I estimate at 45 per centum — a rough ana- 

 lysis gave about that amount.* 



1th. — It contains green-sand, but in what propor- 

 tion I have no means of ascertaining. Some 

 beds appear to abound more in it than others, 

 and different parts of the same bed to have it 



* Three specimens of Mr. Wickham's marl, select- 

 ed from bodies which he had mostly used from, and 

 which he supposed presented fair averages of value, 

 were afterwards analyzed, and found to conlain the 

 following proportions : 



No. 1. Shell marl, blackish when moist, from upper 

 part of bed, in Barn field, back from the river, con- 

 sisted of carbonate of lime - - 32.50 

 Silicious sand and green-sand together (the 

 green-sand judged by the eye to be about 

 two-fifths of this residuum, or 22 grains,) 56 

 Dark gray clay, and loss - • - 11.50 



100 



No. 2. Blackish shell marl (like the preced- 

 ing) from the lower part of bed near river 

 bank, consisted of carbonate of lime - 44 



Silicious sand and green-sand (of which the 

 latter appeared to be about one-fifth of 

 this part, or 8 grains,) - - - 39 



Dark gray clay and loss - - - 17 



in unequal quantities. There is also an efflo- 

 rescence on the marl, and on the superincum- 

 bent green-sand, that has a bitter astringent 

 taste resembling that of alum. 1 do not know 

 there is any gypsum in it.* 

 8/A. — We find masses of shells and earth conglo- 

 merated and as hard as stone, but too few to 

 aflect the value of the marl ; they are never 

 carried into the field except by accident. 

 9//i. — The quantity of marl I have used to the 

 acre has been from 600 to 1200 bushels, generally 

 about 800, and often at the rate of 2000 or 3000. 

 \Qth. — I do not think I have ever used less than 



five or six hundred bushels to the acre. 

 11 /A.— When I have put 2000 or 3000 bushels on 

 the acre it has been on land ihat was highly 

 manured, and I never perceived the least injury 

 from an excess of marl. The land to which 

 these large quantities were applied has conti- 

 nued in the greatest state of productiveness. 

 Perhaps a smaller quantity might have proved 

 equally beneficial for a time ; but as a permanent 

 improvement, where the land was originally 

 good, or other manures can be used with the 

 marl, I prefer as much as I can carry on the land. 

 Vlth. — Belbre I commenced marling the planta- 

 tion was cultivated on the old three-field system 

 — corn, wheat, pasture ; no clover, and but little 

 manure made. It was generally in a state of 

 extreme sterility. 

 13i/t. — The improvement from marl was apparent 

 in a year or two, and has been regularly pro- 

 gressive. 

 \Ath. — Its effect on the first succeeding crop was 

 slight, except on cotton, where it acted imme- 

 diately and with great benefit. It was gene- 

 rally spread ''on land intended to be sown in 

 wheat or planted in corn. On the wheat that 

 followed corn, clover was in every instance 

 sown, and the first decided advantage was to 

 the clover crop. The stronger the land the 

 more apparent was that benefit. 

 \5th and I6th. — The earliest fertilizing eflfects pro- 

 duced by marl, and the addition to the crops 

 arising from its use, have been constantly aug- 

 menting in a rapidly increasing ratio, so that 

 every year adds to my opinion of its value ; so 

 far am I from apprehending the increased pro- 

 duct is likely to be diminished, that, on the con- 

 trary, from an experience of twenty years, I am 

 satisfied, with my imperfect husbandry, the land 

 on which it was first used (as well as all the 

 rest to which it has been applied) has been con- 

 stantly improving, and will continue to do so. 



100 



No. 3. Light colored, (yellowish or reddish,) 

 shell marl forming the stratum above the 

 preceding (No. 2.) consisted of carbonate 

 of lime - - - - - 36 



Silicious sand and green-sand, (of which the 

 latter appeared to be one-tenth of this 

 part, or) - - - - - 47 



Yellow clay and losi - - - 17 



100 



* Both alum and copperas, (sulphate of alumine 

 and sulphate of iron,) intermixed, are so abundant in 

 some of the over-lying earth, that a thin crust of these 

 salts is to be seen on the outside, left by the drying 

 of the slowly oozing waters. The taste gave sufficient 

 evidence of the kind of these salts, as the sight did of 

 their existence and source. And as the contact of ei- 

 ther of these salts with shells could not fail to form 

 sulphate of lime, (gypsum, or plaster of Paris,) it is 

 equally certain that some of the latter substance must 

 be in those parts of the marl, until dissolved and car- 

 ried off, though there is no appearance of it to the ey« 

 that could be rehed on.— E. K. 



