THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



421 



always and creally beneficial ; and that in the firsi 

 season ensuing alier ihe application in vvinier, and 

 increasing lor two or three years iherealter. On 

 "Joseph VVhiiall's larm such ellecls have already 

 lasted more ihan 16 years wihoui diminution. 

 Still, the lung-fxperienced proprietor does not 

 thini< that this manure will do alone, but that it 

 ought to be helped by putrescent n)anure. 



On the siiHer high land this earth is beneficial, 

 the more in proportion to the degree of stiffness ol 

 the soil. But on the very sandy soils, as moat ol' 

 the higher grounds are, this, the best kind ol 

 earth, is here held to be totally inefficacious and 

 worthless. Yet on these sandy lands, the smooth 

 bluish clay of Whitall (first described above) is 

 remarkably and strikingly beneficial, while it is of 

 no use whatever on the lower-lying land, where 

 the other earth works so well. It is however ap- 

 plied much more heavily, where convenieni to the 

 fields. Joseph Whitall had commenced 37 years 

 ago to use Iroin his own bed, (the bluish clayey 

 earth,) and as it was unluckily on his lower lands, it 

 was without eflect. The beneficial results reported 

 to be obtained elsewhere (in Burlington county") 

 had induced these, his firsttrials, and subsequently 

 his resorting to oilier earths, Irom which he Ibuml 

 some sliirhi benefits. Siiil the general or average 

 results were discouraging; and he, like many 

 others afierwards, relaxed in his efforis ; and it 

 was only about 18 years ago that he learned how 

 •Aud where to apply each kind ol earth, so as to 

 profit by both, and by every application. One of 

 his experiments will be slated. He applied his 

 own kind, and also some of the best from Heri- 

 tage's pits, side by side, on a part of his lower 

 land, and in like manner on a high sandy knoll. 

 On the lormer the "gunpowder marl" produced 

 great benefit, and the other earth not ilie least 

 whatever; while these effects were precisely re- 

 versed, and in as remarkable a degree, on the 

 higher and very sandy land. On both the (arms 

 of Wm. K. Tatura and the Whitalls, the best 

 green-sand earth is regularly and industriously 

 used on the low lands, wagoned four and five 

 miles from the pits where it is bought. Yet the 

 lormer declares that he uuuld not have it brought 

 gratis on his most sandy land, deeming that^its 

 benefit would not pay him lor the^ mere spreading. 

 And the Whitalls, who by their practice give sucli 

 strong evidence of high appreciation and prefer- 

 ence, of their neighbors' " gunpowder marl," on 

 low lands, have sold to other neighbors consider- 

 able quantities of their own (the black micacious 

 clay) to be carried to their sandy lands. 



But these are not all the strange contradictions 

 which have served to cause error and loss, until 

 Ihey were better understood, as to effects, though 

 the causes still remain as much hidden as ever. 

 The seventh body of earth above-mentioned was 

 stated to appear as rich in green-sand as the best, 

 and which is very similar in all respects. Benja- 

 min Whitall, entertaining no doubt of its value 

 being equal to the best, worked at this body a 

 whole winter, and put on his father's farm 150 

 ions. It produced not the least benefit, either soon 

 or late. The same winter W. R. Tatum carried 

 some ol it to his farm. It remained inert for two 

 years, but afterwards showed very good effect. 



A similar fact was mentioned by Dr. Joshua 

 Whitall, a resident of Burlington county, where 

 It occurred. Abel Inskeep had been for some 



length of time purchasing and hauling green-sand 

 earth several miles from a neighbor's digging* 

 Afterwards lie Ibund on his own larm what ap- 

 peared to be very much the same, and apparently 

 as rich manuring earth. Ol course he proceeded 

 to use his own, and to save both purchase money 

 and long carriage. But after full trial, and of 

 course with every inducement to judge favorably, 

 he was obliged to believe that his own earih was 

 comparatively worthless, and to abandon its use, 

 and return to the lormer source of supply. 



It might be inliirred that the chemical analysis 

 of the different earths would show the causes of 

 such difference of acrion. But, on the contrary, 

 the analyses of chemists not only afford no such 

 light, but if taken as directions would lead into 

 still greater darkness. The qualities and com- 

 parative values of different bodies of earth as in- 

 dicated by their chemical analysis, reported in (he 

 final geological report of New Jersey, do not ac- 

 cord with the opinions (ormed of their practical 

 operation ; and in some cases, some earths which 

 would appear valuable by their chemical analysis, 

 have been lound to be totally worthless. 



It is supposed, by ihe chemists, that the fertiliz- 

 ing ingredient of this earth is the green-sand 

 contained ; and that the poiash, which ia one of the 

 component parts, is what gives value to the green- 

 sand. There is generallynot a particle of carbo- 

 nate of^ lime ; and never enough to be worth con- 

 sideration ; and of course this manuring earth is 

 as little entitled to its common name in New Jer- 

 sey of •'marl,'" as its action as manure has of 

 similarity to either what is called marling in Vir- 

 ginia, or in England, 



The best effects of all kinds of this earth are 

 on grass— and the grasses most benefited by far 

 are the clovers. Potatoes, both sweet and round, 

 and buckwheat are also greatly improved. Irs 

 cases where there was scar-cely any clover on the 

 meadows, after this earth was applied, red clover 

 so increased without seeding as to cover the land. 

 And where red clover does not come, white clo- 

 ver does. These effects are so remarkable, thaS 

 some intelligent and generally well-informed per- 

 sons have not been able to avoid the belief that 

 these plants were produced without seed, merely 

 bv the operation of the green-sand earth, B, 

 Whitall, however, thinks that the clouds of sand 

 which are sometimes blown by high winds in dry 

 weather, may well convey the seeds of clover 

 from Ihe high lands to the meadows. 



Minimum etJ'ects of this manure have been al- 

 ready sufficiently presented, though merely in ge- 

 neral terms, when referring to classes of cases in 

 which these earihs were either very nearly or to- 

 tally inert and worthless. A few other cases of 

 maximum benefits will be here stated. 



On the farm of Joseph Whitall, a piece of the 

 low land, in its poorest and most unproductive 

 state, was dressed with 12 to 15 loads (240 to 300 

 bushels) of purchased green-sand earth of best 

 kind. The land had been standing in grass, as 

 all such land is kept generally, and for as many 

 years together as grass remains worth mowing, 

 or furnishes good pasture. But the really good 

 grass here would have scarcely furnished 100 lbs, 

 of hay to the acre, the general growth being very 

 little except Indian grass, which is our broom 

 grass. In the next season, clover had nearly taken 

 possession of the ground, and the crop of hay 



