S6 [Senate 



VVilh -lus informatlonj and the well known sagacity and energy 

 of the ci:izens of this great Republic, it will not be many years, in 

 ihe opinion of the writer, before a new and productive source of 

 commerce will be opened in the various ports of our commoa 

 country. 



Yours, very respectfully, 



S. WALKER. 

 To the .'American Institute. 



Farm of Hugh Maxwell. 



In conversation with Mr. Maxwell, some short time since, he 

 stated some facts in relation to the fertilizing power of a red marl, 

 abundantly existing at Nyaclc, Westchester county, in this State, 

 which induced me to visit the spot. I found Mr. Maxwell's farm ol 

 110 acres, bounded by the Hudson, well worth a visit. 



The whole was in excellent fence, made of the loose stones found 

 on the lanil, neatly piled about four and a half feet high, forming 

 fields of from four to eight acres. The foundation of these fences 

 has used nearly all the stones which w^ere on the surfrce of the lands. 

 And in this it would seem as if Divine Providence had caused the 

 rocks to be distributed of the proper size for fencing. Had the 

 pieces been much larger or smaller, they would not have answered as 

 well as they now do. If they had been planted two feet under 

 ground, or had been piled in larger masses, the labor of fencing 

 would have been very greatly increased. 



This farm, as well as all those about Nyack, lies on the singular 

 mass of sandstone, included by a point of about five miles on the 

 river. All the surrounding rocks are of other materials. This sand- 

 stone, when quarried, exhibits strata of a kind of red marl of many 

 feet in thickness, lying between strata of the sandstone ; the quarr)- 

 men throw it out of their vvay, and millions of loads are lying near 

 the water's edge, so that in many places vessels can jie along side a 

 bed of it, and slide it on board. On Mr. Maxwell's farm, the for- 

 mer proprietor, desirous of making extensive hard walks through his 

 garden, caused this marl to be put upon them about one foot deep. 

 Soon after this was finished, the walks began to produce white clover 

 in such profusion and persevering succession, that all prospects of 

 using the paths in that condition was abamloned ; they could not be 

 kept in order with the hoe. Mr. M. being strongly impressed by 

 this occurrence, determined on applying it to the surface of his farm. 

 I saw a field of coim of several acres, which had been top-dressed 

 this year with the red marl, now bearing not less than eighty bushels 

 of shelled corn to the acre ; as great a product as is obtained from 

 the best city manure, costing at Nyack nearly thirty-seven cents per 

 bushel. 



I saw an upland field of wheat, on which as an experiment, Mr. 

 Maxwell had top-dressed with this marl, a space of three rods by 



