298 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



combined with them. It is enough for this posi- 

 tion, that land so improved can bear any judicious 

 and farmer-like system of cropping, in grain and 

 grass, which gives a proper return to the eoil, 

 though taking off' much more in Ireqiient crops. 

 Such, for example, is the VVestover and Brandon 

 /our-shift rotations, of three crops of grain at>d 

 one o( clover in every four years ; yet the land is 

 kept improving under that heavy draught on its 

 productive power, afier liming, with only the ma- 

 nures of the farm, and gypsum. If Mr. Turner 

 were to stop his heavy dressings from purchased 

 manures, even after having made the land as rich 

 as is possible without lime, how long would his 

 land bear up, under such heavy exactions as 

 those referred to, and retain all its previous and 

 highest power of production? 



(o.) As much as Mr. Turner would seem, in 

 some parts of his re.Tiarks, to oppose our views 

 in regard to lime in the general, he furnishes in 

 particular statements the strongest confirmation of 

 them. And here is a very remarkable case in 

 point. There is then some soil that Mr. Turner's 

 generous and even lavish and repeated triennial 

 manurings cannot make rich temporarily, much 

 less keep rich 7 If we were to say that the cause 

 were wholly (as no doubt it is in part, as Mr, 

 Turner supposes,) the acidity of such soil, (or 

 something else,) which "seems to dissipate and 

 scatter !o the lour winds his manure, almost as 

 fast as he applies it," and lime would remove this 

 evil, and let the manure act and remain as on 

 other lands, it would be but presenting the " fix- 

 ing" proposition in a different form. Without 

 having seen or had any experience of any land 

 60 bad as he describes, and without entering upon 

 the discussion of the modus operandi, we can ven- 

 ture to assert that " the something" and the whole 

 matter with this soil, which causes such very un- 

 common bad qualities, is the want of lime. And so 

 sure are we of this, that if we were residinu in Mr. 

 Turner's neighborhood, we would accept this land 

 which he offers to give away, and think that we 

 could show him that the making it calcareous 

 would make it abundantly retentive of putrescent 

 manure. Of course, we infer that the land so 

 described and denounced is dry, and has a soil, 

 however poor it may be. If land be wet, and re- 

 main uudrained, improvement by lime, or any other 

 means, is hopeless ; and if the original soil has 

 been washed away, or otherwise removed, though 

 improvement would be quite feasible, it would 

 be of more cost than profit. We presume how- 

 ever that Mr. Turner does not refer to any such 

 extreme cases as these, any more than to 

 surfaces of entire rock, or pebbles, or of blowing 

 «and, where soil had never existed. As to ail 



ordinary and naturally poor soils, and including 

 the poorest of them, we entertain no doubt of 

 their bemg universally susceptible of high im- 

 provement by lime ; and that by using lime 

 thereon judiciously, from one half to perhaps nine- 

 tenths of the putrescent manures may be saved; 

 which vvould be otherwise required to maintain 

 any certain grade of increased productiveness. — 

 Ed, Far. Keg. 



REPORT TO THE STATE BOARD OF AGRI- 

 CULTURE, 



ON A PART OF NAKSKMOND COUNTY. 



Chuckatuck, May 16, 1842. 



Mr. Edmund Ruffin, Corresponding Secretary oj 

 the Hoard of ^Agriculture of Virginia. — 1 received 

 your communication (circular) only a iew days 

 ago, the letter having been addressed to me at 

 Suffolk, and in compliance with the request, will 

 answer such of the queries therein contained as 

 come within my knowledge, though imperfectly. 



My observations will be confined mostly to the 

 land on Nansemond river and its tributaries, 

 though they will suit the greater part of the 

 county, except (or the want of marl off the wa- 

 ter courses, with which we abound on the banks 

 of the river, with shell marl, or rotten oyster 

 shells and decomposed vegetable matter, forming 

 an almost black surface soil of 6 to 12 inches 

 deep, the former settlements no doubt of Indians. 

 Occasionally, on the river bank, and always on 

 the creeks and coves, is found an abundance of 

 marl, formed of clay and marine shells, both of 

 which have been applied with good effect on our 

 lands, when used with judgment; but owing to a 

 want of knowledge of chemistry, and the caustic 

 effects of calcareous matters, it was used so lavish- 

 ly some years ago, as to render the land entirely 

 unproductive, and will require many years to re- 

 claim it, by rest and the use of vegetable matter, 

 and the contents of the farm-yard. This injury 

 is only partial, however. One field in this neighbor- 

 hood was marled some eight or nine years ago, 

 at the rate of 800 to 900 bushels per acre, the 

 crops of which have never since paid one half 

 the expense of cultivation ; the land had been 

 heavily cropped several years before, was worn 

 down and naked ; but in every instance, that 

 I know of; where 100 to 1.50 bushels to the 

 acre have been used, it has acted beneficially. 

 It is difficult to overcome prejudices, and many 

 will not use it, from the injury sustained by some 

 by over-marling. 



Most of our lands are what may be called 

 level, and generally are so, except on the water 

 courses there are some inequalities, produced by 

 coves or guis running up into the fields. 



The climate is vacillating, produced by our 

 contiguity to the seaboard, generally feeling the 

 influence of the sea breeze or easterly winds; 

 indeed since my recollection it has changed very 

 much, having later springs and earlier autumns, 

 so much so as to render the cotton crop preca- 

 rious, and causing the cultivation of it to be en- 

 tirely abandoned. 



Now, our crop is mainly corn, with peas, and 

 oats, and potatoes, and melons, on or near the 



