26 



THE, FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[compared to its original stale,] than any one in 

 the county of" King William. I should have 

 mentioned that the spot on which I put 1000 

 bushels to the acre, by proper treatment now 

 yields as well as any pfift of the farm. 1 have 

 been told by farmers of the strictest veracity tliat at 

 the time Dr. Westmore sold the place, it yielded 

 double the quantity of corn and small grain thai 

 it did when I lelt it. He had followed up the 

 improvement by sowing clover and by the use o( 

 leaves taken from the woods &c. &c. 



I omitted to mention that the quantity of shell 

 or lime in the marl was not ascertained during my 

 experiments by analyzing it. According to my ob- 

 servation there were only two ingredients — earth 

 and shell ; no creen-sand, no gypsum, no stony 

 hardness of shell. Kichard Hii-l. 



IF. jinswers by JVilliam S. Fontaine, in regard 

 to FontainbUaufarm, in King William county. 



\st. — In 1820, about ten acres were marled by a 

 former proprietor ; began myself in 1835. 



2d. — I purchased of different individuals, two of 

 whom previously had bought many small lots, 

 most of ihem from William and Mary College, 

 varying in quantity from 20 to 300 acres — the 

 whole tract making at present 1300 acres. Under 

 my personal direction since 1835. 



3d. — About 400 acres had been cleared in many 

 small detached pieces surrounded by pines. 



4</t.— 200 acres since added by clearing — poorer 

 than the previous average quality. 



6lh. — About 150 acres a year have been marled, 

 some years a great deal more, and some less ; 

 750 acres in all marled, including 200 acres still 

 in woods, 



6/ft.— The strength of the marl supposed to be 

 about 60 per cent of calcareous matter. I have 

 marled 4 acres with a blue marl, about 30 per 

 cent,* 



lih. and Sth. — No other ingredient (or any kind) 

 unless " of fine clay" in the marl, which how- 

 ever has been but little used, and seems to be 

 more suited to the light sandy land, than the 

 yellow marl, which was the kind generally 

 used. 



9<ft. — The quantity applied the first year, 350 

 busheis per acre ; since, 450 bushels on the 

 clay, and 200 on the sandy land. 



\Oth. — OnsomeZig/jf and very sa?ic/?/ slopes, as little 

 as 120 bushels have been Used,with greater bene- 

 fit than when much larger quantities were ap- 

 plied, the latter burning up the corn after the 

 first rotation. Latterly, on such places 1 have 

 hauled out the clay from he top of tlie banks, 

 after mixing it with the marl ; the improve- 

 ment is more visible than when the marl and 

 clay are used on different lands. As little as 200 

 bushels of marl have been applied on the clay 



* Specimens of these, which were carefully select- 

 ed by the reporter, aided by the direction of Mr. Fon 

 taine, and afterwards analyzed, showed the yellowish 

 marl, which is like the great body, to contain 57 per 

 cent, of carbonate of lime, and the blue (which lies 

 under the other) to ctintain 63 per cent.; so that the 

 tivo may be considered ai nearly equal as possible.— 

 E. R. 



lands. I do not know that any difference, be- 

 tween the effects of that and the heavier dress- 

 ings of 450 bushels was observable, except that 

 clover did not take so well on the former, and 

 it is more difficult to scatter equally over the 

 land the lighter, than the heavier dressing. Hpi 



llfA.— In 1835 I hauled out 2500 heaped bush- 

 els marl on 2 acres of ra'her sandy land, then in 

 young pines; in 1836 planted in corn ; estimat- 

 ed product 12 bushels to ihe acre. 1837 in 

 vv'heat ; very indifferent crop. 1838 in corn — 

 mar!-burnt — did not gather an ear. In the hill 

 turned it under with a Ibur-horse-plough, top 

 dressed with manure, sowed in lucerne, 6 lbs. 

 to acre, choked with weeds, particularly mul- 

 lein, which was pulled up by hand ; the ^vw 

 springs of lucerne left, very luxuriant. In 1841 

 will be in corn, when its recovery will be test- 

 ed. To the eye this land is greatly improved. 



12/7*. — The former cultivation was impoverishing, 



the two-shift rotation — Ist, corn, 2d, ivheat or 



oats, and grazed. No manure had been hauled 



out, except on a portion ol' that bought of Mr. 



. Y. J. Clements. 



\Zth. — The cultivation, since marling, meliorating 

 i— three-shift, corn, wheat, clover not grazed, 

 wiih litter from the woodS; and all the manure 

 applied that could be raised. - 



\ith. — On the poor level clay land, which formed 

 the great body of the farm, and which is pre- 

 cisely similar to that described m page 40 of 

 ' Essay on Calcareous Manures,' (except that 

 the subsoil at the depth of six ijiches is a reddish 

 yellow, and more clayey, besides standing wet 

 weather better,) the improvement on the corn 

 crop is slight indeed, scarcely perceptible the 

 first year, unless where manure is used, then 

 the increase is great, upwards of 50 per cent. 

 Without the marl, the manure does but little 

 good, and soon disappears. Clover will not - 

 grow at all on any of my land before marling— 

 afterwards the crop is truly surprising on the clay 

 lands. On the lighter lands 1 find the increase 

 in the crop the first year, from marl alone, much 

 greater than on the clay, lijily 40 per cent, 

 greater, or 50 to 60 in all, supposing the first 

 benefit to the stiffest land to be only 10 to 20 

 per cent. There is a gradual and constant in- 

 crease every year if the rotation is at ail ameli- 

 orating, whilst the uiimarled land, under the 

 same treatment, continues at a stand. Clover 

 does not grow on the sandy land well, unless 

 plastered — it is otherwise on the clay. 



\5th. — The early efii^cts ol the marhngs always 

 increased subsequently. 



\Q)th. — My experience thus far is, that the early 

 increased product of marled land is not subse- 

 quently diminished, but the contrary — the land 

 marled by Wesley in 1820 will now produce 40 

 bushels per acre. This has had the benefit also 

 of having been manured once, and of clover. 

 Similar and adjoining land before marling did 

 not produce more than six bushels. 



Ytth. — On several sandy knolls injury has resulted 

 from too much marl being applied, but easily 

 recovered by manure or pine leaves. 



18f/i. — Manure is much more efficacious after marl- 

 ing the land. Gypsum does not act at all before 

 marling. It does afterwards on (he sandy land. 

 I am not certain as to the clay. 



19^'^. — The average product in corn, before mari- 



