THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



447 



formed by its lodging on the outer edge ofa pine- 

 Ibrest. Tliey stretch along i he shore lor some dis- 

 tance, enclosing one of the light-houses, and im- 

 burying many of the trees, some of which were 

 about 40 leeiin height, and yet iheir tops only aj)- 

 pear on the dune^s like small bushes. These 

 dunes are evidently of very recent origin, and 

 still in the act of (brming, as is proved by the mo- 

 derate age of the trees, and the want ot herbage 

 on their surface. The whole (brest against which 

 they have lodged appears, from the very undulat- 

 ing surlace of the ground, to have sprung out of 

 the remains of more ancient dunes. Similar ap- 

 pearances are observable near the coast in Balti- 

 more hundred, and may be traced lor several miles 

 inland, until the undulaiing surlace gradually be- 

 comes more even, and Ibrms the ordinary super- 

 ficial stratum of light sand. 



That the superficial stratum of sand is due to 

 the destruction of sand dunes is more clearly seen 

 in the western portion of the county, where the 

 arenaceous stratum is much heavier, often attain- 

 ing the thicl<ness of 20-30 feet, and many of the 

 ridges of loose sand are nothing more than dunes 

 which have resisted the destroying influence of the 

 wind, and may be traced from the lower hundreds 

 to the sources of the Nanticokein the southern part 

 of Kent county. Indeed, in whatever direction we 

 approach the Nanticoke, from its source to the 

 point of its crossing the state line, a range of sand 

 hills strike the observer from their frequency — 

 often from their continuity, theirsteepness, and the 

 lightness of the sami composing them, circum- 

 stances which would at once induce him to refer 

 ihem to the same origin as dunes. The sand is 

 of so loose a na'ure, that where the sod is remov- 

 ed, it is very liable to removal by the wind, to the 

 great annoyance of agriculturists. While allud- 

 ing to the forest lands of the upper counties, we 

 have incidentally noticed the existence of sand 

 hills, which increasing in number and extent as 

 we approach Sussex, and gradually passing into 

 the sand dunes, must be attributed to the same 

 origin. But althougli we meet with the sand in 

 great abundance in the form of detached and con- 

 nected hills, the greater portion of it constitutes a 

 nearly level covering to the subjacent clays, vary- 

 ing in thickness from 1 to 20 leet, and covering a 

 large amount of surface in the south-western part 

 of the county. In N. W. Fork hundred, the 

 greater part of it is in the form of hills, and there 

 is a comparatively small amount on the dividing 

 ridge, where the soil is usually more or less argil- 

 laceous. This Ibrmation of light sand should not 

 be confounded with several ranges of gravel hills 

 in the county, which have a totally distinct charac- 

 ter, although they are partially covered with the 

 sand. The most striking of these ranges is one 

 lying to the south of Milton, and between George- 

 town and Lewes. It is a ridge of variable breadth, 

 not more than 50 feet in height, extending for se- 

 veral miles apparenily in a'N. VV. and S. E. 

 direction, composed of fine gravel and sand with a 

 sufficient admixture of c!ay to render it compact. 

 Its isolated situation in a region composed ofsuch 

 different materials has attracted the notice of the 

 inhabitants, and given rise to a variety of conjec- 

 tures relative to its origin. It is undoubtedly to be 

 referred to the same causes, formerly in action 

 when the land was beneath the water, which are 

 now operating in the bay to form shoals and bars, 



and which, if the whole bottom of the bay were 



elevated, would present the similar elevations com- 

 posed of sand and gravel. 



Reviewing what has been said relative to the 

 sand in the two preceding sections, we find that 

 it is a stratum covering one half or two thirds of 

 the county of Sussex, and extending partly into 

 Kent, composed of a light-colored sand of a fine 

 and even grain, containing scarcely a trace of 

 argillaceous matter, excepting on its surface, and 

 so loosely deposited as to be liable to shilling from 

 the action of the wind, that the greater part is dis- 

 tributed as a loose covering over the surface, from 

 1 to 30 feet, but probably averaging 5 feet in thick- 

 ness ; — that it is frequently drifted into the form 

 of hills, closely resemblimg the sand dunes still 

 forming on the coast near Cape Henlopen, and 

 may be refered to the same origin. 



IMPROVEMENT OF SANDY SOILS. 



From the American Agriculturist. 

 In a short jaunt we have recently taken through 

 that paradise of New England, the Connecticut 

 valley, we have witnessed a success in the re- 

 claiming of worn out sandy lands, which we 

 hardly dared to expect with the ease, economy 

 and facility with which it has been accomplished. 

 The Hon. W. Clark of Northampton, has been 

 the great pioneeer in this course, and from the 

 successfiil results he has achieved we may fairly 

 class him among the great agricultural reformers 

 of the present day. He has already given to the 

 public the theory of his operations, which we 

 hope to find room to lay before our readers at 

 some future time. Our object now is simply to 

 give his practice, and after our farmers have be- 

 gun the good work of reclaiming their almost 

 barren wastes, it will be a pleasure for them to 

 look into the modus operandi, and see the reason 

 of their success. There are three essential fea- 

 tures in this practice, and the simultaneous adop- 

 tion of each is essential to effect the desired 

 object. The first is the frequent and thorough 

 use of \he roller ; the second a constant covering 

 of crops on the ground ; the third is the introduc- 

 tion of clover and grass as a fertilizer. To illus- 

 trate this, we give the history of a single field of 

 some 40 acres of worn out sandy soil, in the vici- 

 nity of N. This field was purchased by Mr. C. 

 some eight or ten years since lor nine dollars per 

 acre, while the fertile bottom lands on the other 

 side of the town, would sell readily for ^150 to 

 ^200. His object was first to get a crop of corn 

 if possible, and the land being too poor for this, he 

 carried on to it a moderate quantity of peat or 

 swamp muck, which was found in the low places 

 01? the same field. We may observe, in passing, 

 this pi'at and muck exists to an almost unlimited 

 extent throughout. New England, and we con- 

 sider it of vastly more intrinsic value to the com- 

 munity that all the gold mines that have dazzled 

 the eyes of our southern neii^hbors for the last 

 fifteen years. With this dressing, say of fifteen 

 to thirty loads to the acre, the whole cost of whichi 

 consists in simply digging and throwing into 

 heaps to be drained, and acted on by the atmo- 

 sphere, after which it is carried either by carts 

 or sleds in winter on lo the adjacent ground ; the 



