FARMERS' REGISTER. 



687 



II. j'liiswcrs by Dr. Corhiii Braxton, of Cheri- 

 coke, King fVilliain county. 



ylnftwcr to \st query. — The use of marl at Cheri- 

 coke, the larin on which I reside, and to wliich 

 these answers will be confined, was conunenceil 

 in 1834. 



2(1. — The liirm was my own then, and since. 



'6d. — The quruitity ot' cleared and cultivated land 

 then about 500 acres. 



Ath. — About 50 acres pince added, trenerally of 

 wasie spots, and poorer than the other. In ail 

 now 550 acres. 



5th. — About 50 to 70 acres marled annually, and 

 about 400 acres now covered. All the marl 

 brought ciirht miles by water, on a camel 

 lighter, f'rocn the lands of Geo. W. Bassett, 

 above. JVIy own marl dips so much as to be 

 lower than the level ol' the water of the river.* 



6i/i. — According to Professor Rogers' analysis and 

 report, this marl has 34 per cent, of calcareous 

 matter. The marl is friable, and the calcareous 

 matter finely divided. f 



1th. — This marl also contains, according lo Pro- 

 lessor Rogers, 34 per rent, of green-sand. 



9>th. — Nothing contained in the marl to lessen the 

 value. 



9/A. — The usual quantities applied from 200 to 

 30G bushels per acre. 



lO^A. — As lifttle as 100 bushels to the acre I have 

 applied with benefit; but not so great as the 

 larger quantities. 



Wth. — I have never, that I am aware olj exceeded 

 300 bushels to the acre. The result was belter 

 than a lesser quantity, but this superiority was 

 evidenced more on grtisses than on grain. 

 Wherever enough green- sand-mar I (mark the 

 expression|) has been put, the weeds, al'ter the 

 first year oC the growth, are eradicated, and if 

 (here is not enough red clover seed in the ground 

 to occupy the land, the surface is covered by 

 white clover, without any seed having been 

 sown. 



\2th. — The previous cropping was meliorating, 

 so fiir as some red clover, an abundant crop ot 

 weeds left to die on the land, and what other pu- 

 trescent manure we could prepare on the farm, 

 could make it. The five-field rotation had been 

 pursueil for two or three years before I com- 

 menced marling, (1. corn, 2. wheat or oats, 3. 

 clover, fallowed, 4. wheat, 5. pasture not closely 

 grazed.) Bafbre that the common three-field 

 rotation had obtained. 



* An estimate of the expense of the digging, trans- 

 portation, &c. of this marl, was prepared at our 

 request, and will be inserted in a subsequent part of 

 this number. — Ed. 

 t The only specimen furnished contained: 



Carbonate of lime - - - 11 grs. 



Sand, coarse, - - - - S2 



Of which about one-third, or 27 grains 

 was of green-sand. 

 Dark gray clay, (or finely divided earth,) 

 and loss ... .7 



100 

 See remarks on this specimen, p. 6S3. E. R. 



X Meaning a calcareous marl, containing also green- 

 sand. — Ed. 



Vol. VIII.-87 



13/A. — The same five-field rotation has been con- 

 tinued since marling, but is about to be changed 

 to six-fields, by the introducing of a pea-crop. 

 The partial grazing, in the year pn-ceding corn, 

 is deemed more beneficiiil thrui injurious to the 

 subsequent product, as the light sod needs the 

 treading of stock. 



14/A. — The corn crop on the poorer land, next 

 succeeding the marliuir, I think has been in- 

 creased fi'om 100 to 200 per cent. On the better 

 land about 100 per cent. The land, judging 

 fi'om its appearance and the crops raised, has 

 continued to improve afterwards; but with my 

 rotation and the short time I have been at it, I 

 have not had an ojiportunity of observing many 

 second crops of corn after the marling, and the 

 Hessian fly invariably destroys my corn-field 

 wheat. 



\5th. — My experience (on the farm on which I 

 live) with marl has been loo limited to answer 

 this query eutisfactorily ; but as far as I can 

 judge, the early efiects have certainly been 

 irreatly increased afterwards. 



IG^A. — I have no expectation of any future dimi- 

 nution of the rate of product already derived, 

 under the circumstances by me stated, or sup- 

 posed in the query. 



\lth. — Being anxious to get over the whole sur- 

 liicc of (he liirm as early as possible, I have 

 never marled as heavily as the land could bear 

 of green-sand marl, perhaps by two-thirds, or 

 three-fourths — and, therelore, I have no da- 

 maged or ninrl-burnt spots. But our county 

 presents much of such effects ; which are gene- 

 rally found on gravelly knolls, whether of light 

 orsiitf soil, and where most devoid of vegeta- 

 ble matter. But this damaged land, so far as I 

 have seen, is ail easily reclaimed, and made rich, 

 by a free application of vegetable matter, or 

 other putrescent manure — but the animalized 

 manures acting decidedly better than the purely 

 vegetable. 



\Sth. — All vegetable manures have acted better 

 since marluig than before, and, as fur as I can 

 jud^e, are durable, and the land looks rich after 

 their use ; whereas, before marling, on the light 

 soils, the effect of the putrescent manuring ge- 

 nerally passed off with the first crop. Before 

 marling, gypsum had good effect on clover, and 

 also on turnips. But alier usmg the green-sand 

 marl, gypsum had no preceptible effect, as it 

 seemed to be surpassed in effect, and superseded 

 by the green-sand ingredient. 



\^th. — Before marling, my fields averaged Irora 

 15 to 20 bushels of corn per acre. 



20i/i. — My corn crop fjr the last three years ave- 

 raged 40 bushels, being all on marled land. 

 This year is included, supposing that it will cer- 

 tainly produce at least as much as the two 

 liarmer. 



21s<. — My crops of wheat have more than dou- 

 bled since I have been fallowing, but I have not 

 as yet had a fair opportunity of judging the 

 ellecis on marled land fallowed, as my fivlcfe are 

 just now coming in rotation, this being the first 

 year of fallowing proper after marling. As 

 belbre stated I cannot make wheat after corn, 

 on rich or poor, marled or unmarled land. 



22(i!.~If the price of corn he put at i§2.75 the bar- 

 rel and wheal at S1.20 the bushel, I suppose 

 the increase of grain, from marling, to be worth 



