THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



27 



ing, was about S bushels per acre. 



20</t.— Now it is 20 bushels to the acre. 



21.s<. — The Cornier average crop of wheat was 

 300 bushels— It'om 700 to SUO since marling. 



22(1. — Tlio average value ol" annual increa?eti pro- 

 duct in grain, I think equal to i^7 per acre — and 

 81700 fiom corn and wheat, not estimating ha}', 

 clover, cattle, &c. 



23d. — [t does not serve to contradict, but, on the 

 other hand, to confirnri the slatemenis ol' the 

 "recapitulation'' in the ' Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures.' 



III. JJnswcrs by Thomas Robinson in regard to 

 Mount Pisgah farm, on Mattapony river. 



jlnsioer to \st query. — The use of marl was com- 

 menced by myself, in 1834. 



2d. — The property was niy own, and under my 

 personal direction ever since. 



3d. — Quantity of cleared land then 200 acres. 



Aih. — Added since 20 acres, poorer by one-half 

 than the general average of the whole farm. 



5ih. — The rate of marling from 20 to 50 acres per 



annum. 210 acres are now marled. 

 ' Qth. — The marl supposed to be [from its similari- 

 ty] about the sirength of Capt. Fontaine's.* 



1th and 8th. — No other ingredient known, as be- 

 neficial or otherwise, eJiccpt a large proportion 

 of fine light yellow clay. 



9th. — About 200 bushels put to the acre. 



10th. — I have marled as light as 150 bushels per 

 acre, and found it more improving, after the first 

 crop, than heavier marling. Heavy marling an- 

 sv^ers well I he first crop, but is sure to fire, more 

 and more every succeeding crop. 



llih. — In 1817, on a very poor and sandy knoll, 

 my father, Col. Beverley Robinson, hauled out 

 from 1500 to 2000 bushels of marl to the acre. 

 Fifteen acres were marled at this or probably a 

 heavier rate. No manure has been applied to this 

 land since. Nor has it made a crop of corn 

 within my recollection — the crops being burnt up 

 every time when in cultivation. The present 

 year probably a barrel [5 bushels] to the acre 

 has been gathered. Yet, to the eye, this land 

 seems to be greatly improved, being darker and 

 stiff'er than the adjoininjj land more recently and 

 lightly marled by myself, though before marling, 

 from many indications, the first marled piece 

 appears to have been more sandy than the ad- 

 joining land. The product of this piece of land 

 in small grain is unknown to me, not having 

 sown any on it since in my possession till this 

 fall. 



I2th. — The previous cultivation was the three- 

 shift rotation with close grazing. Impoverish- 

 ing, of course. 



13/.'i. — The cultivation since has been on the ihree- 

 shit't rotation, but no grazing permitted. 



I4.th. — The increase v/as supposed to be 25 per 

 cent, the first year, and as much more annually 

 to the present time. 



15th. — The early effects have been increased. 



16th. — I consider improvement made by marl per- 

 manent, and not to be diminished under any ro- 

 tation of crops or course of cultivation. 



I7th. — On very light eandy soil, a reduction of pro- 

 duct equal to one half has resulted from very 

 heavy applications of marl. 



ISlh. — 1 believe vegetable manures more durable 

 after marling ; but whether more efficacious at 

 first I am unable to say. 



I9th. — The average product before marling was 

 about five bushels of corn to the acre. 



2Qih — The present productive power equal to 20 

 bushels of corn. 



21si.— About 100 bushels of wheat v/as the year- 

 ly crop previously. Now 50 bushels of wheat, 

 and an increase bf 100 per cent, upon the pro- 

 duct of rye and oats, they being my principal 

 small grain crops. 



22d. — The increased value is about ^8.50 per acre, 

 in the increase from marling; and $700 in the 

 annual value ot the gross product caused by 

 marling. 



* "Which was found by analysis to contain 57 per 

 cent, of carbonate of lime. E. R. 



IV. j^nswers of Thomas Carter, in regard to 

 Pampatike farm. King William county. 



Answer to 1st query. — I commenced the use of 

 marl in 1827. 



2d. — Pampatike has always been my property, 

 and was under my immediate management till 

 1836; since then 1 have continued to direct 

 what crops should be put in, what land ma- 

 nured, &c., though i do not now reside there. 



3d. — When I began to marl there Vi-ere about 800 

 acres cleared. 



Ath. — I have since added nearly 400 acres, by pur- 

 chase and clearing — independent ol'lSO acres of 

 swamp land, which ! reclaimed and cultivated 

 two or three years, but have since been obliged 

 to abandon. The land I have added was poorer 

 than the average. 



5lh. — The number of acres marled per annum has 

 been irregular. 1 have now marled upwards of 

 800 acres. 



Qth. — I have never analyzed the marl, and cannot 

 tell its proportions. It is considered very rich. 



1th. — I do not thitik there is any green-sand in my 

 marl ; nor do I believe it contains any gypsum. 

 I have not used the green-sand vviih the marl ; 

 but I find it very advantageous mixed with other 

 manure. There is no green-sand at Pampatike, 

 and I procure what I. use from Mr. Bassetl's 

 plantation. I decidedly prefer the marl.* 



Sth. — "We sometimes find large masses of shells ; 

 but this is not very often. I do not think it 

 makes much diiTerence when put on the land 

 with fine marl. 



9</i.— On all the land marled previous to 1839, 1 

 put from 500 to 600 bushels ; since then about 

 300 bushels have been used per acre. 



lOi^.-r-We h^ve never put less than 300 bushels 

 per acre. My overseer thinks it answers quite 

 as well as 600 bushels.. 



11th. — I have never made trials of heavier dress- 

 ings than above stated. 



* The marl spoken of by Mr. Carter is merely cal- 

 careous. That which he calls " green-sand," obtained 

 from Mr. Bassett's land, M'e infer is the green-sand marl 

 used from the same place by Dr. Corbin Braxton and 

 described at page 687, of vol. 8. Mr. Carter's prefer- 

 ence (after trial and comparison) of the merely calca- 

 reous marl is a fact well worthy of note. — Ed. 



