THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



425 



earth becomes of a vivid green. This last is not 

 liked, and the earths showioir it most are thought 

 not to be among the best. But 1 saw it first, and 

 most distinctly, at Heritage's diggings in Glou- 

 cester, of which the manure is in high repute, 

 and very ricli in green-sand by the geologist's 

 reported analysis. The many large conical 

 heaps, of regular form and nearly equal size, but 

 varying in color according to age from deep black 

 to bright green, present to the eye a novel and 

 striking display at each of the principal diggings. 

 There is another general if not universal ac- 

 companiment which particularly attracted my no- 

 tice, as I had seen and appreciated the same at 

 home in our green-sand earth. This is gypsum 

 which is left on the surface in a white tasteless 

 powder, like a dusting with coarse meal, on the 

 outside of the drying heaps of earth. ( learned 

 that the workers and users of the earth, though 

 not knowing what this white powder is, had 

 formed the opinion that the appearance was most 

 decided in the earths best lor manure. It appear- 

 ed to me more abundant on the heaps of Allen 

 Wallace — though his pits have been but recently 

 opened for sale, and the earth has not yet acquired 

 so much credit as that of Woodstown and some 

 other places. On part of Heritage's earth, un- 

 covered, but not dug out, the exuding fluid 

 gypsum had dried and formed a thin crust. I 

 cannot but believe that this gypsum is an ingre- 

 dient sufliciently abundant and general in most 

 if not all of these earths, to add very considera- 

 bly to the other and unknown causes of value 

 as manure. 



As all the diggings present the same general 

 appearance, it would have been a waste of my 

 limited time to visit and examine all even of ihose 

 near to Woodstown. When about to Isave the 

 last one, I asked its proprietor, Allen Wallace, 

 what was the number of farmers takins from his 

 diggings this season. He said about 30 persons ; 

 and he supposed that the next proprietor, Henry 

 Allen, was supplying about as many ; and the 

 next, Richmond Dickenson, furnished considera- 

 bly more than either of them. I thence computed 

 that the three, which are all close together, and 

 forming what I count as one locality, are supplying 

 this season about 100 difl'erent farmers. There 

 are six localities of diggings in this neighborhood, 

 all within a circle of six miles diameter, of which 

 Woodstown is the centre ; and all these are sup- 

 plying green-sand earth largely. Add to this that 

 there are sundry other diggings in this and the 

 adjacent county of Gloucester, all in active opera- 

 tion, and some idea may be formed of the num- 

 ber of farms on which this improvement is now in 

 progress. This evidence of very general appre- 

 ciation vvould be enough to prove great value, 

 even if the cost were less than half its actual 

 amount. 



Next, as to the cost of the im|)rovement, a^ lui 

 indication of the value of the resulis. As has 

 been stated, the price per load for the best Uiiiii 

 and far greater quantity Uoed, is liuiu 37^ lo 50 

 cents the load of 20 bushels by estimate, but more 

 often not more than 18 bushels. And i hough 

 many farmers buy by the heap, or dig lor them- 

 selves, Mr. Davis thinks that there is not much 

 difference between these and the firat-iiauicii 

 mode of purchase. I asked of Richmond Dick- 

 enson, what he supposed was the average distance 

 Vol. X.-54 



10 which all those persons hauled the manure now 

 being taken from his extensive difrgino-s. He an- 

 swered, at first, 6 miles. JMr. Davis thought 6 

 miles nearer the mark, and upon more full consi- 

 deration the estimate was fixed at 5 miles Dick- 

 enson being confident that as many loads were 

 carried I'rom his diggings upwards of 5 miles, as 

 there were lo less than that distance. I asked the 

 same question of A. Wallace, who supposed 7 

 miles to be the average distance of his then cus- 

 tomers. This was an off-hand guess and proba- 

 bly made somewhat too high. Some persons 

 from other pits have hauled as far as 15 miles. 

 The estimate of average distance calculated from 

 Cawley's particular statement of numbers of 

 teams, and the distance to which each hauled, as 

 stated above, is 5^ miles. 



I heard it mentioned that some farmers have es- 

 timated that every load of good green-sand earth 

 spread on their land, added ^5 toils intrinsic or 

 productive value j and when I referred to this, as 

 an extravagant assertion, to Messrs. William 

 Heeve and D. JVl. Davis, they both defended the 

 position as correct, in the cases of best and most 

 profitable known action of this manure. The 

 reader may judge of this for himself, from the 

 statements which I shall hereafter submit. 



Here, as before in Gloucester, I found almost 

 all persons with whom I conversed to be Quakers ; 

 and persons of that sect are so numerous, that 

 even other persons fall into the habit of using 

 their " plain language," a.s it is termed. 



The general rotation of crops in this part of the 

 country is, 1, corn, on sward or old grass land; 2, 

 oats; 3, wheat, to which all the manure is applied 

 in September, before sowing, and on which clover 

 and timothy seeds are sown; 4, 5, the grass mowed 

 and afterwards grazed; 6, pasture. The green- 

 sand earth is generally given as top-dressing on 

 clover, the autumn and ivinter after taking off 

 wheat. The quantity of the green-sand earth ap- 

 plied is usually ten loads of a wagon and two 

 horses, and when near and ch^ap enough, 12 or 

 15 loads are often applied. Every man would 

 prefer to give more, but for the cost. Nearly all 

 the persons ot whom inquiries were made concur- 

 red in the opinion that the effects were permanent, 

 so far as their experience or information extended ; 

 and most of them had personal experience of 

 from 10 to 15 years. Siill, second dressings are 

 given, and in some farms the third dressings have 

 been applied, and with new benefit at each repe- 

 tition. Some lew doubted the permanency of ef- 

 fect. Dr. Whitall, of Burlington com ty, informed 

 me that it was supposed there that the ellect less- 

 ened after three years. 



As elsewhere, the best effects found here are on 

 the clovers and buckwheats; the least on wheat. 

 Wherever applied first (or and juoii pr.'ceding ihe 

 latter crop, very litile if any benefit has been seen. 

 On buckwheat ihe etiecis ufihe grecn-tsand earlli 

 are very remarkable, and it is a general practice 

 lo apply it fijr ih.u giO|); and being done lor this 

 orup mobily by poor irien, uud on poor land, ii is 

 put ai not more than live loads to itie acre. On 

 pan uf the very poor land bought by David M. 

 David lor $5 the acre, he applied ihe earth at the; 

 rate of 10 loads, tor buckwheat. The laud \vi\u 

 III Indian grasa (biuOni sedge) when ploughed up 

 for Ihe buckwheat. The cro|) made was sold at 

 SI the bushel, which is an unusually high price ; 



