388 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



JAMES RIVER WATER-BORNE MARL, AND ITS 

 EXPENSE. LIME AND CEMENT FROM STONE 

 MARL. 



At various places in our publications, and etill 

 more in private conversations, we have recom- 

 mended and urged the use of water-borne marl lo 

 all those fanners on navigable waters who had 

 not marl easily accessible on their own lands. 

 Our arguments to this end, and estimates of" ad- 

 vantages, have as yet had but very limited opera- 

 lion, not because they were not convincing to 

 many, and who would gladly have incurred the 

 proper expense, but because, to effect the object, 

 required the co-operation of three diflerent classes 

 of operators. These were, Ist, the proprietor and 

 worker of the mar! beds, to sell, dig, and deliver 

 the marl to lighters, or other vessels ; 2d, water- 

 men and owners of vessels to transport the marl ; 

 and 3d, purchasers upon fixed and large contracts, 

 60 as to furnish that regular and full employment 

 which only could make all parts of the business 

 (as of any other business,) both cheap in opera- 

 ration and profitable in results. Many persons 

 were, and still are, anxious to buy marl— but few 

 proprietors of tlie beds cared to work them on a 

 proper mode tor cheap delivery — and still worse 

 was the chance lo obtain the water transportation 

 to.be properly and certainly performed, and at 

 other than exorbitant rates. But notwithstanding 

 all the difficulties, we succeeded as early as 1833 

 in inducing Col. C. H. Minge, then residing in 

 Charles City county, to commence marling his 

 farm in that county from the bed which underlies 

 Coggins Point, of which we gave to him (and 

 also to others afterwards) the gratuitous use. Col. 

 Mi^ge proceeded on the proper mode lor cheap- 

 ness, by purchasing a vessel, and having the 

 transportation carried on by his own hired hands. 

 But though thus avoiding the exorbitant charges 

 and unfaithful operations of lighter-men, he had 

 to bear all the disadvantages and losses of carry- 

 ing on all the separate branches of the business, 

 generally out of reach of his supervision, and by 

 the aid of ignorant and inexperienced hands— and, 

 moreover, under other peculiar disadvantages, un- 

 necessary to repeat here, but which may be seen, 

 as slightly and generally referred to, in the report 

 published at page 97 of 'Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures.' Still, under all such disadvantages, 

 (which we suppose must have served (o increase 

 the cost fully one-third,) Col. Minge continued 

 his operations through two years, and, according 

 to careful and particular estimates of all the items, 

 he found the total expense of the uncovering and 

 digging the marl, putting it on board, transporting 

 it 15 miles on and across the broad part of James 

 River, and landing it above high- water mark, to 



be, for 15,000 bushels (heaped) conveyed in 1833, 

 not quite 2 cents the bushel, (1}| cents was the 

 estimate.) and 17,000 bushels the next year, only 

 1— cents per bushel. This does not include any 

 payment lor tlie marl, as he was charged nothing 

 for it. But if half a cent the bushel be allowed 

 for that (which is enough,) his marl of the se- 

 cond year would still have cost him but little more 

 than 2 cents when put out on his landing place. 



But of the many who want to buy marl, and 

 who would very gladly pay 3 cents, (and who in 

 fact have paid 4 to 5 cents, or more,) none have 

 been willing to undertake to be their own carriers. 

 And while they have paid more than twice the 

 amount of fair prices lor lightering, the persons 

 engaged in that business have made but little 

 profit, owing to the ignorance, laziness, and 

 worthlessness of most of the hireling hands who 

 man the river lighters. Mr. Hill Carter (of 

 Shirley) next to Col. Minge, was the earliest and 

 has been the most extensive applier of water- 

 borne marl on the borders of James River. But 

 though he likewise obtained his early supplies gra- 

 tuitously, (paying only for the labor performed,) 

 he has never been able to have marl put on his 

 shore at less than 4\ cents ; and yet, after seeing 

 the effects of his early applications, he was so 

 anxious to extend it to all his land, that he re- 

 quested and authorized us to contract with any 

 res|)onsible person to furnish him marl enough, 

 and regularly, at 5 cents the bushel. We were 

 unable, at that time, to induce any proper person 

 to undertake that large contract, and therefore it 

 was not effected ; though we were as well per- 

 suaded then as now, that even at 2 cents less, 

 a good and sufficient profit would have been 

 afforded to the other party. Under this opinion 

 we rather discouraged the paying the high prices 

 then asked, and advised several persons who 

 would otherwise have bought, to wait for more 

 moderate terms— or, still better, to become their 

 own carriers. But lo this time, the price haa 

 been very little reduced, (4 cents being the low- 

 est yet paid, under the most favorable circum- 

 btances,) and large quantities of marl have been 

 bought and used, at such high prices, though not 

 one-twentieth of what might otherwise have been 

 demanded, at fair prices. 



During all this time, we refrained from offering 

 to furnish marl from our beds, except by gift — 

 and that for several reasons. In the first place, 

 we did not choose that our urgent recgmmenda- 

 tions to others to purchase and use water-borne 

 marl should, eweyi by possibility, subject us to the 

 suspicion of being impelled thereto by the desire 



