542 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



riage will be much reduced by the contemplated 

 improvement in the means of transportation. 



The importance of* the subject has led me, 

 though much pressed for time, to prepare for you 

 a most hurried transcript of Chaptal's views, 

 which you can publish as they are, or abbreviate 

 to suit you. Your own opinion on some of his 

 points would doubtless be acceptable to your rea- 

 ders. I deem it proper, that some facts, which 

 have been observed in this neighborhood, should 

 be furnished you, in relation to the transmission of 

 salts into plants. 



On my tract of land there are several spots, ori- 

 ginally deer-licks, which for along time remained 

 entirely barren of all vegetation, and in certain 

 states of weather, would be frosted over with 

 beautiful crystals of marine salt. These, by the 

 washings from the grounds above, and other 

 causes, have within a icw years been covered 

 with some soil and a little vegetable matter, Du- 

 ring wet spells, in warm weather, grass will 

 grow on these spots with considerable luxuriance; 

 but as soon as the weather becomes dry, crystali- 

 zation ol the saline matter exuding from the sur- 

 face of the grass, leaves may be observed — the 

 plants are all white with salt, and in a few days, 

 not a vestige of verdure can be seen. Some of 

 the grass-roots, however, survive, and grow again 

 on the return of moist weather. Possibly some 

 of the marine vegetables which yield soda might 

 grow well on these spots. Trees also are liable 

 to receivejnto their vessels an excess of saline mat- 

 ter. Not long since, a very wet sack of salt was 

 laid at the root, of a young Lomaardy poplar in 

 Farmville. A moist spell ensuing, the tree flour- 

 ished for a while, and a beautiful crystallization of 

 salt was observed on the under side of every leaf. 

 On the return of dry weather, every leaf dried up 

 and fell, and the tree was thought to be killed. 

 It afterwards revived, and is still alive. 



I have recently learned that much of the secon- 

 dary stripe of land, on which I reside, was, at the 

 settlement of this region, destitute of trees. I have 

 seen the original patent for my tract, in which, it 

 is stated to lie on the barren-lick branch; and my 

 father, who is still alive, can rememberwhen much 

 of the tract was bare of trees. I state this fact, 

 becanse I know you wish information on such 

 matters.* 



W. S. MORTON. 



"CHARITY THIKKETH NO EVIL." 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



After an absence of some weeks from home, I 

 returned only a few days ago— when, for the first 

 time, I saw your September No. You may ima- 

 gine my surprise, when looking over this valuable 

 journal, I turned to a paper written by myself to 

 which you have given the horrid caption of "A 

 deed without a name," and to which you have 

 appended, by way of comment, "that the au- 

 thor's fact you hold as nought— himself, unworthy 



*The readers of the first No. of this journal will 

 remember Dr. Morton's description there given of the 

 stripe of land which is here referred to, and the rea- 

 sons for believing it to have derived its peculiar char- 

 acter from containing calcareous matter. Ed. 



of credit," or words to that effect; and further, 

 that the communication would not have been no- 

 ticed, but for its supposed personal bearing. 



Mr. Editor, (if the author be at all worthy of 

 credit.) nothing was further from his intention 

 than to inflict on you the slightest injury, by 

 thought, word, or deed. He believes you like 

 nothing fulsome; but it is an act of sheer justice 

 to say, that he regards you as a public, a national 

 benefactor. He believes, that, like Moses of old, 

 you are leading through a dreary wilderness to 

 a land of promise — understand me. Mr. Editor, I 

 intend no impiety — I mean that if we follow your 

 advice, and example, this land of sterilty may be 

 converted into one overflowing with milk and ho- 

 ney — a land which the Israelites might have 

 sought, as one of God's best gifts, when fleeing 

 from the wrath of Pharoah. 



The article on which you have fixed the seal 

 of your bitter denunciation, was written in a mo- 

 ment of exultation, after having witnessed the 

 wonderful effects of marl, on a soil exhausted by 

 the severest usage. I am not very certain that it 

 was not prompted by a feeling of gratitude to the 

 giver of all good things, for the wonderful pro- 

 vision of his bounty, in placing within the reach 

 of us, his poor creatures, the means of an ample 

 return for the sweat of our brows. 



Perhaps, sir, I may be an enthusiast on this 

 subject; but I am possessed with the belief, that 

 by the simple application of marl, the tide-water 

 district has within itself the means of an entire 

 restoration of the original fertility of its soil; and 

 nay more, that by its judicious application, the 

 land itself will become more productive, and the 

 air we breathe, more salubrious. Why should it 

 not be so? The best European and American wri- 

 ters think lime a necessary ingredient of every fer- 

 tile soil: you yourself seem to be satisfied that calca- 

 reous matter only is wanting to render our tide- 

 water lands productive — this of course, with a 

 due quantity of vegetable or animal manure — for 

 without a reasonable return of these, no man in 

 his senses can expect his mother earth to afford 

 him abundant harvests. Marl will supply this 

 valuable desideratum. So much for fertilizing the 

 earth. Sir John Sinclair, (whose name is a 

 host,) states, that however productive soils may 

 be rendered, (I quote from memory,) yet if it be 

 from the effects of lime, no injury to health ensues, 

 as the decomposition of the vegetable matter is 

 corrected by its presence: of course, the air it 

 gives out in its putrescent state is not inimical to 

 human liife. Now, sir, are these facts? If so, 

 here is my conclusion — that marl not only fertil- 

 izes the earth, but purifies the air we breathe; 

 and looking through the operations of nature up 

 to nature's God, I devoutly thank him for his man- 

 ifold gifts — not the least of which, is his unspeak- 

 able goodness, in this wise provision of his bounty, 

 in placing within the power of us poor mortals, by 

 a judicious application of our labor, ihe means of 

 health and abundance. 



I am afraid to say more on the subject of my ex- 

 periments, lest you should again nail them to the 

 counter as base coin; and hereafier I must con- 

 tent myself with pursuing the even tenor of my 

 way, as an unobtrusive, but bona fide 



MAULER. 



[We beg our correspondent to dismiss from his mind 



