236 



THE TARMERS' REGISTER. 



morning, as to any of their filth which adheres to 

 them, Mr. Turner might pass his cambric hand- 

 kerchief over both their flanka and sides without 

 materially soilint? if. Out oC 30 oxen which 

 have been regulfirly at work lor the past ten 

 months, several good beeves could noiv be ee- 

 lecterl, with skiiis as sleek and clean as could be 

 deeiied ; and 1 may also add, thai these 30 oxen, 

 with the aid of 4 others occasionally to relieve the 

 weaker individuals, have executed all of the 

 spring labor Ibrmerly perlbrmed by a number o!' 

 animals varying from 42 to 48 ; and not a single 

 instance has occurred of a steer (ailing to perform 

 the daily labor required of him. 



I now come to that portion of the reverend gen- 

 tleman's remarks where he became "at once 

 fully convinced that Mr. Nicol did not know 

 against whom he was hurling his shafts." Let 

 me here, Mr. Editor, compliment his sagacity in 

 becoming "convinced" that I did not know who 

 was the writer of an anonymous essay appearing 

 in your pages. I had no iniention of attacking his 

 " Btrong fbrie," or his hog management, furiher 

 than was implied in his mode of' making ihera 

 manure raisers, as gathered from hie anonymous 

 essay. Suited to his peculiar circumstances, his 

 hog management, for aught I know, rnay be (he 

 very acme of perfection, and in his opinion I 

 doubt not it is so. The price which he obtained 

 for his eight months old boar was really good. 

 But was it sold to the butcher or fancy hog 

 breeder? 



As to Mr. Turner's "one word more," I will 

 not give insult, by believing that any of his intel- 

 ligent neighbors would be guilty of so much rude- 

 ness as to laugh at any individual, however hum- 

 ble his station, or homely his mode of expressing 

 himself^ who would honestly express a dissent from 

 the anonymous opinion of Mr. Turner or any 

 other person. 



The concluding passages'of the remarks re- 

 quire no comment ; their evident drift and inten- 

 tion is sufficiently plain ; and with an apology lor 

 occupying so much more of your space than I had 

 intended, I am, Mr. Editor, your humble servant, 



A. Nicol. 



It is unpleasant to us at all times to have con- 

 troversy, on agricultural subjects, conducted be- 

 tween any of our correspondents in any other than 

 the kindest feeling towards each other, and with 

 the single object of eliciting truth by discussion. 

 It has therefore been to us a subject of regret, 

 that any asperity, or expressions that could give 

 the slightest offence, should have found place in 

 this controversy between two persons, to whose 

 contributions we attach high value. Each, in turn, 

 has thought himself aggrieved, and claimed the 

 right to reply ; and each has now been permitted to 

 '• shoot his bolt," or to " have the floor," in reply 

 to the other's strictures, and though not as fully 

 as he desired, to the full extent that we deemed 

 admissible and proper. And now this controver- 

 sy must stop here, or at least as to any thing 

 farther that would apply to the person or the par- 



ticular opinions of the opposite party. We have 

 taken the liberty to prune from the articles, on 

 both sides, some passages which were too pun- 

 gent. For this we crave the pardon of both 

 writers, and fear we shall have the thanks of neither; 

 usually happens to the unlucky editor in such 

 cases, we may have somewhat offended both the 

 opposite parlies, not only by what we have ad- 

 mitted, but also by what we have refused to ad- 

 mit. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the 

 communications of both these highly respected 

 correspondents, in support of their own opinions 

 and practices, without too pointed condemnation 

 of others, and 'whether on the points now in 

 question, on any others, will be always most wel- 

 come to the pages of the Farmers' Register. 

 —Ed. F. R. 



WIND PUaiP, FOR KEEPIXG LOW MARL PITS 

 FREE FR03I WATER. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



[ met with a gentleman from Eastern Virginia, 

 more than a year ago, in the steamboat, who pro- 

 fessed to be a farmer, and a subscriber to the 

 Farmers' Register. He spoke of great improve- 

 ments made by the use of marl, but said, in Ma- 

 thews county, his residence, though marl had 

 been found m many places, the land was so low 

 and so flat, and water rose so near the surface, 

 the use of it had not been attempted. I told him 

 that 1 knew a farmer in the low lands of Talbot 

 county, Md., who, under the disadvantages he 

 mentioned, was working a pit much to his profit ; 

 and I promised, at his request, to make a commu- 

 nication on this matter in the Register. 



Mr. John Dawson, the proprietor, informed 

 me that after a painful search he found a bed of 

 marl, on the banks of St. Michael's river, eight 

 feet below the surface, and on a line with the 

 river, and, upon removing the superincumbent 

 earth, much water rose in the pit, which he drew 

 off by means of a sweep and bucket, and worked 

 in this way for some time. An uncommon high 

 tide overflowed the banks of the river, and filled 

 his pit. To clear it by the means he had been 

 using, he deemed hopeless. Some person recom- 

 mended to him to apply to Mr. O. Hussey, a skil- 

 ful and ingenious mechanic of Baltimore, who 

 constructed for him a pump, worked by the wind, 

 which drew ofl' the water. He still continues to 

 use it, and the water now is no obstruction to his 

 operations. By means of an inclined road he now 

 gets marl with much facility. I saw the contri- 

 vance and was much pleased with it, and have no 

 doubt but in Mathews, or in any other level coun- 

 try where the water cannot be drawn off by ditch- 

 ing, it might be advantageously used. 



The cost of the pump, with the appendages, 

 was one hundred dollars. If it should be deemed 

 too expensive lor one farm, by selecting a conve- 

 nient spot it might serve for two or more. 



I have forgotten the gentleman's name to whom 



