1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



667 



even without the further help of barn-yard ma- 

 nure, are now nearly all skinned over by a newly 

 formed soil ; and though such soil is both poor 

 and thin, and may yet long remain so, the rvhole 

 of its present productive power is due to marling ; 

 as such galled land was, before, naked, entire- 

 ly barren, and irreclaimable by other manures. 

 Where much or rich putrescent matter has been 

 also applied to galls, with or after marl, both rich 

 and durable soil has been Ibrmed, though at 

 great cost. 



The more level parts of the old and greatly ex- 

 hausted fields, and the newly cleared wood-land, 

 both kinds being naturally poor, thin, and acid 

 soils, are the only lands which have enjoyed any- 

 thing like the full beneficial efiecis of marling. 

 These have been increased in product from 5 and 

 10 bushels of corn per acre (which may be consi- 

 dered the usual minimum and maximum rates,) to 

 at least 20, and in some cases to 35 bushels, even 

 without the aid ot barn-yard manure. Where pu- 

 trescent manures have been also applied, they 

 have raised the products higher; and these ma- 

 nures are now as durable and as profitable, as for- 

 merly they Avere fleeting and profitless in effect. 



The belbre poor and light soil which formed the 

 greater part of the old arable lands, and which 

 was not above three inches in depth, (and scarce- 

 ly two inches, when in its natural forest state,) is 

 now seven inches and more, and requires three- 

 horse ploughs to break it to proper de|)th, where 

 the one-horse ploughs formerly would frequently 

 reach and bring up the barren subsoil. 



The valuable operation of marl has increased 

 with time, even where the effects were also the 

 most speedy. 



The soil, which before was totally unable to 

 support red clover, is now (exce[)t on the most 

 sandy spots) well adapte<l to the growth, and 

 capable, according to the grade of fertility, of re- 

 ceiving the great benefit which is offered by that 

 most valuable of improving crops. 



And generally — notwithstanding all the many 

 and great errors committed in my marling, (for 

 want of experience,) and of still worse general 

 I'arm management — and though a considerable 

 proportion of^ the old land was either but little or 

 not at all fit to be improved by marling — and 

 though the land added since by new clearings 

 was all very poor, and worthless for its natural 

 producing power — still the general annual grain 

 products of the farm have been increased li'om 

 three to four-fold, and the net profit of cultivation 

 and the intrinsic value of the land have been 

 increased in a still greater proportion. 



EXTRACTS FROSl BEVERLY'S HISTORY OP VIR- 

 GINIA. 



Of the earths and soils. 



The soil is of such variety, according to the dif- 

 ference of situation, that one part or other of it 

 seems fitted to every sort of plant that is requisite 

 either for the benefit or pleasure of mankind. 

 And were it not for the high mountains to the 

 north-west, which are supposed to retain vast 

 magazines of snow, and by that means cause the 

 wind from that quarter to descend a little too cold 



upon them, 'lis believed, that many of those deli- 

 cious summer fruits growing in the hotter climates, 

 might be kept there green all the winter, wiifiout 

 the charge of housing, or any other care than 

 what is due to the natural plants of the country, 

 when transplanted into a garden. But as that 

 would be no considerable charge, any man who is 

 curious might with all the ease imaginable pre- 

 serve as giany of them as would gratifie a mode- 

 rate luxury, and the summer afiords genial heat 

 enough to ripen them to perfection. 



There are three difiierent kinds of land, accord- 

 ing to the difierence of situation, either in the lower 

 parts of the country, the middle, or that on the 

 heads of the rivers. 



The land towards the mouth of the rivers, is 

 generally of a low, moist, and fat mould, such as 

 the heavier sorts of grain delight in, as rice, hemp, 

 Indian corn, &c. 



This also is varied here and there with veins of 

 a cold, hungry, sandy soil, of the same moisture, 

 and very often lying under water. But this also 

 has its advantages, for on such land generally grow 

 the huckle-berries, cran-berries, chincapins, &c. 

 These low-lands are for the most part well -stored 

 with oaks, poplars, pines, cedars, cypress and 

 sweet-gums, the trunks of which are often thirty, 

 forty, fifty, some sixty or seventy foot high without 

 a branch or limb. They likewise produce great 

 variety of ev'ergreens, unknown to me by name, 

 besides (he beauteous holly, sweet-myrtle, cedar, 

 and the live-oak, which for three-quarters of the 

 year is continually dropping it's acorns, and at the 

 same time budding and leaving others in their 

 stead. 



The land higher up the rivers throughout the 

 whole country is generally a level ground, with 

 shallow vallies, full of streams, and pleasant 

 springs of clear water, having interspersed here 

 and there, among the large levels, some small 

 hills and extensive vales. The mould in some 

 places is black, fiit and thick laid, in others looser, 

 lighter and thin. The foundation of the mould is 

 also various, sometimes clay, then gravel and 

 rocky stones, and sometimes marie. The middle 

 of the necks or ridges between the rivers, is ge- 

 nerally poor, being either a light sand, or a while 

 or red clay, with a thin mould. Yet even these 

 places are stored with chestnuts, chinkapins, acorns 

 of the shrub-oak, and a reedy grass in summer 

 very good for cattle. The rich lands lie next the 

 rivers and branches, and are stored with live-oaks, 

 walnuts, hickories, ash, beech, poplar, and many 

 other sorts of timber, of surprising bigness. ^ 



The heads of the rivers aflord a mixture of hills, 

 vallies and plains, some richer than others, where- 

 of the fruits and timber-trees are also various. In 

 some places lie great plats of low and very rich 

 ground, well timber'd, in others large spots of mea- 

 dows and savannas wherein are hundreds of acres 

 without any tree at all, but yield reeds and grass 

 of incredible height. And in the swamps" and 

 sunken grounds grow trees as vastly big as I be- 

 lieve the world afiords, and stand so close together 

 that the branches or boughs of many of them lock 

 into one another ; but what lessens their value is 

 that the greater bulk of them are at some distance 

 from water carriage. The land of these upper 

 parts affords great variety in the foundations of' the 

 soil or mould, of which good judgment may be 

 made by the plants and herbs that grow upon it. 



