40 Orange County Manures. [Jan., 



settle to the bottom of the stagnant water, and being almost en- 

 tirely excluded from atmospheric agency, a partial decomposition 

 only takes place. Of course it is better not to be immediately 

 applied to the soil. At the same time it contains a greater pro- 

 portion of soluble matter, and whenever applied its action will be 

 found to be more speedy, but less durable than peat. 



3. Marl. — Underneath almost every peat swamp in this coun- 

 ty, may be found a marl bed, but these marl beds vary much in 

 quality and in quantity. In some places they are several feet in 

 depth, whilst in others they form a mere layer of lime under the 

 peat. In some beds it consists of almost pure carbonate of lime, 

 and in others this substance is but thinly scattered through the 

 mass. Whatever may be the character, the farmer may put it 

 down as a source of great fertility, if he find one of these beds 

 upon his farm. There are few farms here that have not a marl 

 bed, at least in the immediate vicinity, for we have set down the 

 amount of peat at nearly 50,000 acres, and the marl will average 

 nearly the same in extent, and probably will be found, in general, 

 to exceed the peat in thickness. 



Marl is formed in two ways — i. e., the marl Avhich abounds in 

 Orange county. In the bottom of small ponds, the waters of 

 which contain an excess of carbonate of lime, that substance is 

 deposited, or settles in the form of a fine white powder. At the 

 same time the grass and other vegetation that grows in the same 

 position dies and decays, and becomes mixed with the fine carbo- 

 nate of lime and the fresh water shells, which abound in waters 

 charged with lime. Thus although the marl may be chiefly com- 

 posed of the fine powder, it will be found sprinkled, and some- 

 times largely, with three or four kinds of small white shells. In 

 some cases the shells compose almost the whole of the lime, and 

 the remainder of the marl is a coarse vegetable matter. This 

 substance is probably still forming in the bottom of our ponds. 



Although marl is so abundant throughout the county, yet it is 

 a fact that comparatively few farmers know it when they see it, 

 and still fewer understand its uses. It will, therefore, not be mis- 

 spent time to examine this subject at large. 



