FAKMKRS' REGISTER 



^8.60 for each acre untlcr fjrain crops anJ near- 

 ly ^2600 on the (arm each year, lor o;rain alone. 

 Parts of several fields (amounting aa above 

 staleil (0 about 150 acres) are yet to be marled, 

 an! ofcourse have added noihing to this product. 

 My gross products, as well as the net, are very 

 much better than they formerly were under the 

 three-shift rotation, although I now cultivate 

 but one-sixih of the surface, whereas formerly 

 it was one-third. 

 23d. — As lar as my observation mid experience 

 have gone, I have seen nothing to contradict, 

 but on the contrary every thing to confirm the 

 theoretical views advanced by you respecting 

 the action of marl, in the ' Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures.' 



November 4th, 1840. 



III. Answers of Carter Braxton, in regard to 

 Newcastle farm, Hanover. 



Answers to 1st query. — The first marling was 

 done in 1832, or '33. But this is conjecture. 



2d. — When marl was first used on the farm I 

 own, it was the property of Mrs. E. Ruffin, 

 from whom I purchased in 1837; it was under 

 her management before then, and my own 

 since. 



3d and 4th. — The cleared land was then about 

 750 acres ; and none of any consequence has 

 been added since. 



5th. — In 1837, when I took possession of the 

 estate, I found about 120 acres marled. Since 

 then, I have marled about 230 — making in ail 

 350 acres. 



6th. — I am wholly unacquainted with the propor- 

 tions of component parts of the marl. 



7lh and 8th. — The upper stratum of our marl 

 banks, for 3 to 5 feet in thickness, appear to be 

 very full of shells, and some masses of them 

 are very hard. Below that, lor any known 

 depth, as none of them lias been yet penetrated 

 to the bottom, there is a good deal of s^hell, 

 some entire and the rest in fragments, mixed 

 with the marl. The color of our marl in the 

 bank is bluish ; but that below the top stratum, 

 soon after coming from the pit, has a greenish 

 complexion, when looked at against the sun; 

 and all of it is supposed to contain a large pro- 

 portion of green-sand. The immediate efl^ect of 

 this marl is equal to what could be expected of 

 any marl.* 



* The specimen of upper stratum contained : 



Carbonate of lime - - - 86 grs. 



Sand, part coarse, principally fine, - 36 



Of which about one-fourth, or 9 grains, 



was green-sand. 

 Gray clay, (or finely divided earth,) and 



loss - - - - - 28 



100 

 The specimen of lower stratum, containing but few 

 and small fragments of shells, consisted of 



Carbonate of lime - - - 2 



Sand, fine - - - - 76 



Of which about one-tenth, or 7J grains 

 was green-sand. 

 Gray clay, (or finely divided earth,) and 

 loss - - - - - 22 



100 



9ih, lOth and 11/A.— From 250 to 300 bushels 

 upually applied. A portion ot' my present corn 

 field received only 175 bushels to the acre, a 

 third less than the usual quantity — the soil on 

 which this smallest portion was put, in appear- 

 ance was no better, if as iiood as that on which 

 more marl was placed ; but the crop of corn 

 now looks equally good, if not superior, to that 

 with the largest portion. No experiment with 

 a larger portion than 300 bushels. 



12iA. — It may be said that the cultivation was 

 meliorating. The farm was in four fields — the 

 number of stock small — and the land kept un- 

 der the inclosing system ; but the land generally 

 produced nothing else than weeds ; in some 

 spots, bird-loot clover — the second year after 

 cultivation the land put up in stick-weed, which 

 overcame every other grass and weed. In my 

 opinion, this is a system that adds nothing to 

 our lands. 



ISth. — Since marling I have kept the land in four 

 fields — have grazed much more heavily than 

 my predecessor ; but have sown clover on all 

 the marled land, which has always flourished 

 luxuriantly. 



I4ih. — The effect has been an increase of from 

 50 to 100 per cent., according to the condition of 

 the land before marling. I have cultivated no 

 land, that I have marled, but once ; I have this 

 year cultivated 40 acres in corn, that was about 

 the first marled land on the farm ; it was not 

 represented to me as being extraordinary for 

 lertiiity when I purchased, and I think the crop 

 is now at least equal to 8 barrels : this land I clo- 

 vered, the year I purchased. 1 have no doubt, 

 from my best observation, that the improve- 

 ment of the marled soil is progressive every 

 year; but I am fully convinced, that the im- 

 provement is greatly augmented by the use of 

 clover, which gives additional fertility to the soil 

 every day it remains on the ground. A larmer 

 that neglects to clover, derives only half of the 

 benefit he otherwise would from marling. It has 

 been said " without clover, no manure — without 

 manure, no corn, wheat," &c. ; we may eay 

 here, " without marl, no clover, and without clo- 

 ver, no corn, wheat, &c." 



l-'ith. — The earliest efiiects have increased ; from 

 but one experiment, I speak, however — and 

 from all the observation I can bestow, that will 

 be the invariable result. 



I6th. — I have never witnessed any diminution of 

 the early product — and from all that I can conjec- 

 ture, none can be apprehended in all future time. 



17/A. — I know of no injurious result of marling, in 

 any instance on my own land. 



ISth. — I have never used any other mineral ma- 

 nure. I think I may positively assert, from my 

 limited experience, that putrescent manure ia 

 more durable after marling. I am not deter- 

 mined whether it is more efficacious on the first 

 crop. 



19th. — The product before marling, on an average, 

 was hardly fifteen bushels of corn per acre. 



20th. — The present productive power of the same 



Average of the upper and lower stratum, if equal 

 depths are used : 



Carbonate of lime in 100 grains - - I85 gs. 



Green-sand do. - - 8i 



E.R. 



