426 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



and the amouni was enough to pay for the whole 

 expense of applying green-sand earth, (bought 

 and carted 5 miles,) the cultivating and securing 

 the crop, and also the purchasing of the land it- 

 self. Mr. VVm. lleeve told me of an experiment 

 made by a neighbor (on stifl land, worn very low) 

 with green-sand earth, applied very thinly, and 

 an equal quantity o( drawn wood ashes, on ad- 



fit for tillage, or grass land dry enough to make 

 good meadow or pasture. On loams, and on the 

 more clayey soils, fwhich two classes comprise 

 nearly all the surli^ce oi' Salem counly,^ the effect 

 is best. It is supposed to be much less on the 

 sandy lands. But the farmers about Woodslown 

 do not agree in the opinion of those whom I con- 

 versed with in Gloucester, that the best green- 



inino' crround. The next crop of clover was sand earih is inert, or nearly so, on very sandy 



pretty good on the green-sand earth, and only a 

 tuft here and there was large enough to strike the 

 view on the ashed land. The value of drawn ashes 

 as manure is universally admitted. They are 

 broucrht in large quantities li-om Philadelphia, and 

 sold °at Salem wharf at 8 cents the bushel, and 

 eometimes more. 



Lime is used by some farmers about Woods- 

 town, but not generally or extensively. I could 

 not learn that its being beneficial or useless had 

 any connexion with the liict that the green-sand 

 earth had heon previously applied, or not. Parti- 

 cular opinions were opposed on this point. 



It is a general opinion that the use of green- 

 Band earth "brings in sorrel," or causes its increase. 

 And this increase is not merely such as the in- 

 creased fertility o( the land would cause, (as if 

 manured by dung,) but it shows a special action of 

 this earth to favor the growth of sorrel peculiarly. 

 Yet it roots out and utterly destroys the growth 

 of poverty grass, broom-sedge, and cinque-foil, 

 which, as in lower Virginia, are the regular co-oc- 

 cupants with sorrel of ilie poorest acid soils. In 

 Burlington cotiniy, the "bringing in sorrel" was 

 BO marTifesily the efiuct ol the green-sand earth, 

 and so injurious to the clover crops, that the ap- 

 plication was thereby discouraged, until it was 

 found out that liming prevented the growth of 

 Borrel. 



As to gypsum, in connexion with or after green- 

 sand eartii, the accounts and opinions differed. 

 Samuel L'ppincott, a successful improver and 

 good farmer, had Ibrmerly found it beneficial, btjt 

 after long use the repetitions had no effect. This 

 was belbre applying green-sand, which he has 

 done since to great profit ; but since the gypsum 

 has no effect. VVm. Reeve, near Allowaystown, 

 on the contrary, finds lime, green-sand earth and 

 gypsum, euccesfively and repeatedly applied on the 

 Bame land, to act always, and each producing a 

 special benefit which he would not expect from an 

 increased quantity of either of the others. Rich- 

 mond Dickenson had found gypsum beneficial be- 

 fore applying the green-sand earth, but of no 

 effect afterwards. 



Most persons thought that the green-sand 

 earth, in very dry seasons, burnt and injured the 

 crop. S. Lippincott thought that on this account 

 he had once made not more than 5 bushels of corn 

 to the acre, on ground that would otherwise have 

 made 75 bushels, from its previous high improve- 

 ment by the use of this eanh. Others thought 

 that it was only on gravelly and sandy soils (such 

 as Lippincott'i field was) that any such iujury was 

 produced. Nobody, however, would have ol^ijected 

 to much heavier than the usual dressings because 

 of the danger of such injury. Lippincott had re- 

 peated his applications, and in part had given a 

 third manuring of this earth. 



As to the soils to which this manuring earth is 

 suitable, all persons of whom 1 heard in Salem 

 agreed in the belief that it acted well on all soils 



soils. Josiah Taium liad stated to me the same, 

 as the opinion just belbre expressed to him, by E, 

 Harris, an intelligent farmer of Burlington 

 county, whose judgment and experience Talum 

 said were eniiiled to great respect. Mr. Harris 

 dissented (iom this opinion of the Gloucester 

 farmers, and thought that if they had fully and 

 fairly tried this manure on their sandy lands, 

 they would have thought differently. 



On the most sandy and barren lands of New 

 Jersey, which, though eo extensive and well 

 known in oUier parts, my route did not touch any 

 where, it seemed to be generally agreed that the 

 green-sand earth had not bien of any value, or 

 at least had not been found profitable in use. 

 But even as to these worst soils, Mr. William 

 Reeve thought that the green-sand earth was 

 only inoperative just as any and every other ma- 

 nure would be found to be on such excessively 

 open and sandy soils. Yet, according to the 

 general and vague reports of the most wonderful 

 improvements made by means of this earth as 

 manure, it is on these very noted '• sand barrens" 

 that the alleged effects are usually located. 



The lands of Pittegrove township were men- 

 tioned to me, by several different persons, as fur- 

 nishing the most uniform and extensive case of 

 great improvement in Salem county. The soil 

 is of different grades of loam, and generally of 

 medium texture. The surlace is generally un- 

 dulating. The original quality, or degree of 

 natural liriility, seemid to have been good, 

 though not by any means rich. These also 

 seem to have been the circumstances generally 

 of all ihe lands 1 saw in this county, except those 

 near to the town of Salfm, which are quite level 

 and very tich, now as well as naturally. The 

 largest landed properly of D. M. Davis lies in 

 Piitsgrovc township, and may serve as a sample 

 of the former general condition, and the more 

 recent changes. I will therefore state what I 

 learned of this particular property. Twenty 

 years ago and for some years after, this land rent- 

 ed for ^100 a year; and alter considerable improve- 

 ment, and as late as seven years ago, the rent 

 was only §300. There were formerly about 200 

 acres of arable land, regularly cultivated in turn, 

 and reduced to the lowest state of exhaustion. 

 Since, 125 acres more have been brought into 

 cultivation, and 20 acres more added to the farm 

 by purchase, at $5 the acre — which here is held 

 10 be as low a price, and indicating as worthless 

 land, as $\ the acre would in lower Virginia. 

 Mr, Davis' occupancy and the improvement by 

 green-sand earth began ten years ago, and for 

 the last seven years the land has been in the 

 hands of two tenants, on leases of five years. 

 The tenants were bound by contract to apply a 

 certain amount of green-sand ; but the obligation 

 was superfluous, as they apply much more that 

 their obligation requires. The tenant of the 

 larger of the two farms was bound to apply 500 



