THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



451 



great marshes have beerj drained by the excava- 

 tion ol" ditches or more properly canals in the na- 

 tural bed of the strean), atjd a large amount of 

 the most, leriile so I in the slate brought under cul- 

 livation. One of these great drains increases 

 from 12 to 24 leet in width from its source to its 

 mouth, a distance ol' nine miles, and throws o(f a 

 sufficient quantity of water in spring Ireshels to 

 float a moderately sized vessel. The Colberih, 

 Cow, Herringion and Tajipehanna marshes m 

 the west of Kent county are the main leeders of 

 the Choptank, and Marshy Hope in the south 

 Ibrms a main source of the North-west Fork rwer. 

 The principal and several minor branches ol ihe 

 Nanticoke have t)efn also subjected to drainage, 

 beside many smaller streams in Sussex. Wlien 

 all the water-courses shall have been confined in 

 a similar manner within their proper channels, a 

 very large amount of an inexhaustibly leriile soil 

 will be brought under the plough, and the noxious 

 exhalaiions of marshy lands will cease to produce 

 diseases to which tlieir inundated state renders 

 them subject. 



VVhen we examine the soil thus wrested from 

 the xvaters, an unusual uni'ormity of com|)Osition 

 appears to prevail in it ; it is black, very unctuous 

 to the (ouch in is moistened state, rarely so ligiit 

 and spongy as not to admit of grain alter a little 

 cultivation, becoming sufficiently compact on dry- 

 ing and consisting ol decayed oiganic matter and 

 argillaceous earth. The organic matter cliietiy 

 humus-coal, and humin, a little of the humic and 

 crenic acids, and that it does not contain uncoin- 

 bined acids, such as tlie malic, acetic or phosphoric 

 in quantity, is shown by its productiveness imme- 

 diately after clearing. The fertility of these soils 

 is shown from the laci that some fields have been 

 tilled in corn lor 40 years in succession, without 

 an apparent diminution of their productiveness; 

 but nevertheless the idea, which ^eems to have 

 become deeply rooted in the minds of the people 

 oi' our western states, that such land can never be 

 exhausted, cannot be too soon reluied and ex 

 ploded in Delaware. No soil, however rich, can 

 withstand excessive tillage, except it receive an 

 adequate return of its richness ; an assertion to 

 which the experience of ages will bear witness, 

 and which will be confirmed by the experience of 

 the west, ere 50 years shall have elapsed. The 

 quantity of organic matter in some of the marshes 

 is 80 great that during a dry seasun, the soil which 

 was accidentally fired, continued to burn like coal, 

 and could only be extinguished by rain. The re- 

 mains of such fires have been observed in several 

 instances, where the carbonaceous matter having 

 been burned out, left the earthy constituents con- 

 vened into a substance resembling brick by the 

 heat o! the fire. It is said that lime applied to 

 this land has sometimes been lound injurious. It 

 may admit of a doubt whether the experimenis 

 were judiciously made, but supposing that to be 

 the caeie, it must arise from the existence of too 

 much humin, or the organic acids, which the ad- 

 dition of lime would biing into a too rapid action. 

 The proper course to pursue with it would be to 

 give a very liijht dressing ol lime, which has been 

 exposed to air lor some time in order to its combi- 

 nation with carbonic acid, in which siaie it gua- 

 rantees a gradual decomposition of insoluble vege- 

 table matter, as shown. There is one important 

 use which these soils may receive and it is only 



surprising that so little attention has been paid to 

 it; the adjoinin<r lands, sometimes argillaceous, 

 are usually light sunds, and if a portion of the 

 black marsh soil were spread upon them, it would 

 render them both more productive and cohesive, 

 and surely there is in nearly every place where it 

 occurs a superfluiiy which should not be suffered 

 10 lie unproductive. 



Similarly /ormed to the marshy soils and arising 

 in part Irom them, are those black depositee in 

 the creeks and branches, existing in all parts ol". 

 the state, but abounding in Sussex and Kent. 

 I'hey are largely composed of organic matter, 

 but contain more earthy constituents than the 

 preceding, and a|)pear to be better elaborated, 

 and [irefiared (or use. In a majority of cases the}' 

 miiy be directly apjilied to land without mixture, 

 and will prove a very valuable substitute (or ma 

 nure of the organic kind, but if extracted where 

 the tide flows, it will often be requisite to expose 

 them to li"osi, or mingle them with lime, or sub- 

 mit them to both, prior to their employment. It 

 IS not merely in larger streams we are to look lor 

 this material, but in small branches, brooks and 

 even in the courses of springs ; it may be (bund 

 on nearly every tract of land in Ihe state, and 

 more especially lo the south. It is a source of 

 lertility within ihe grasp, and certainly within th;-, 

 means of every citizen, and it only needs to be 

 tried, (airly tried to gain it a lasting reputation as 

 natural organic manure. Experiments have been 

 made with it to a very limited extent, and ^^- 

 ihough successful, It is surprising that its use ha» 

 not extended ; lor in some instances, applied alont 

 it has doubled a crop of corn in the first season, 

 and exhibited good eflects (or many years ; with 

 lime it has produced similar results which will 

 stand the lest of a longer time. This vegetable 

 soil is not always unilorm in its composition, for 

 although in creeks it is usually black, and earthy, 

 yet in some small upland ponds or swamps it ig 

 brown, light and spongy. In ihe latter case in 

 particular it should be employed in connection 

 with lime in the caustic state, i. e. freshly slacked, 

 to promote incipient decomposition, and to correct 

 acidiiy, and even in all instances of its application, 

 lime will benefit it and insure greatir durability oi 

 action. Many larmers in Delaware, really desi- 

 rous of improvement, know not where or how to 

 commence, since they cannot raise one-(burth the 

 quantity of manure requisite lor res oring produc- 

 tiveness, and I heir larms are extensive. Here is 

 a material, with which to make the first attempt; 

 let them use it alone, and if it prove good, con- 

 tinue until means are obtained to employ lime in 

 addition lo it; if the result be not lavorable alone, 

 let it be carried to the barn-yard, to form a layer 

 of it there, and when its surlace has been covered 

 by manure, lei them bring in anoiher layer, and 

 in such a manner, the quantity of manure may 

 be increased many Ibid, without deteriorating its 

 quality. 



From the upper part of the state lo its southern 

 boundary the Delaware river and bay, and the 

 sea-coast are skirted by flat lands of varying 

 breadih sometimes exceeding a mile, subject at 

 times lo inundation, consisting of a flat, and dark 

 colored vegetable mould, clothed with a luxuriant 

 growth of reeds and grasses. Supposing them to 

 average a mile and a half in width through the 

 whole length of ihe state, we would have about 



