240 On the use of Shell-Marl. 



by cutting a ditch from three to five feet deep, down the 

 valley, and even through the marsh, till I came to tide- 

 water ; but in this kind of low ground there were more- 

 whole, and larger shells, and none of the large, stone-like 

 lumps above mentioned. It appears as if it had been the 

 bottom of the creek, and as if covered by the water more 

 lately than the first described : all these are on this farm. 

 At my other farm, where my uncle formerly lived, and 

 which is at the head of this creek, I find it by digging 

 deep into the ditches, in the meadow ground, which 

 empty into the head of the creek : but that kind differs 

 from what I have here ; as, besides the scallop shells, 

 which are not so much reduced as here, there is, for 

 perches together, the clam shell, perfectly whole, but so 

 soft, that when thrown out of the ditch and exposed to 

 the air, they soon fall away to powder : but the scallop 

 shell seems most abundant; and of this kind of shell- 

 fish we have no knowledge. The beds of shell are to be 

 discovered in many places, on the edges of the creek, 

 and even out into the water ; and are found throughout 

 the county, in most places where carefully sought for, 

 but generally, I believe, a good deal mixed with sand. 

 However, I have no doubt they may all be usefully ap- 

 plied as improvers of the soil : they are now coming in- 

 to the use of many persons in this county, who have dis- 

 covered them on 'their land, and have adopted a regular 

 system of manuring. 



" Your next question is, to what kind of soils, and how 

 it is applied ; as a top dressing, or ploughed in ? 



I have applied it to all the soils on my farm, some of 

 which is a cold white clay, and wet ; others a light loam, 

 and sandv. I find it useful to each kind, and manure my 



