596 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



These collections of shells, all along the river, 

 are from 2 to 3 feet deep nearest the river bcrnks, 

 and spread hack, covering the whole surfiice, and 

 gradually thinning, so as to tbrni ;i large portion of 

 all the fields on both sides oi the Nansemond : and 

 these original aitillcial deposites make the celebra- 

 ted lerlile shelly lands. It is but within a tew j'cars- 

 back that Air. Cowper and a lew others have 

 greatly extended the suiiace of this kind of soil, 

 by digging down some of the thickest parts of the 

 bed, and carrvnng the shells, and the rich black 

 earth with which they are always intermixed, to 

 other lands, for manure. This is giving, at the 

 same time, both calcareous and putrescent (or ali- 

 mentary) manures — and the efforts have been as 

 good as might have been anticipated from such ap- 

 plications, where both kinds of manure were 

 wanting. 



It was this shelly soil, and others similar else- 

 where, though but little known by personal exam- 

 ination, that furjiished to me long ago one ol'the 

 strongest and earliest proofs of the value and 

 manner of operation of calcareous manures. In 

 investigating the subject at a later period, I obtain- 

 ed from Mr. Cowper specimens of the soil now 

 first seen by me — all of which showed a remark- 

 ably large proportion of calcareous matter, though 

 most of it (fortunately) is still in the state of 

 coarse shells, or their fragments. The following 

 statement of the composition of one of them, 

 from the Ji^ssay on Calcareous Manures, (p. 20, 

 2nd Ed.) will serve as a specimen of some of the 

 best soil of the Indian Eanks. 



"Oyster shell soil of ihe best qualify from the 

 farm of Wills Cowper, Esq. on Nansemond Ri- 

 ver — never manured, and supposed to have been 

 cultivated in corn iis often as three years in four, 

 since the first settlement of the country — now 

 yields (by actual measurement) thirty bushels of 

 corn to the acre — but is very unproductiv^e in 

 wheat. A specimen was taken from the surface 

 to the depth of six inches, weighing altogether 



all their canowes, and moored them in the midst of the 

 open. More than an hundred arrowes stucke in our 

 targets, and about the boat, yet none hurt, onely An- 

 thony Bagnall was shot in his hat, and another in his 

 sleeue. JBut seeing their multitudes, and suspecting 

 as it was, that both the Nandsauiunds and the Ciusa- 

 peacks were together, we thought it best to ryde by 

 their canowes a while, to bethink if it were better to 

 burne all in the isle, or draw them to composition, till 

 we were prouided to take all they had, which was suf- 

 ficient to feed all our colony : but to burne the isle at 

 night it was concluded. In the interim vye began to 

 cut in peeces their canowes, and they presently to lay 

 downe their bowes, making signes of peace : peace 

 we told them we would accept it, would they bring vs 

 their kings bowes and arrowes, with a chayne of pearle; 

 and when we came againe giue vs foure hundred bas- 

 kets of full corne, otherwise we would breake all their 

 boats, and burne their houses, and corne, and all they 

 had. To performe all this, they alleged onely the 

 want of a canow; so we put one a drift and bad them 

 swim to fetch her: and till they performed their pro- 

 mise, wee would but onely breake their canowes. 

 They cryed to us to doe no more, all should be as we 

 would: which presently they performed, away went 

 their bowes and arrowes, and tagge and ragge came 

 with their baskets : so much asvve could carry we 

 tooke, and so departing good friends, we returned to 

 lames Towne, where we safely arrived the 7. of Sep- 

 tember, 1608." 



242 dvvt., which consisted of 



126 — of shells and their fragments, separa- 

 ted by the sieve, 

 116 — remaining finely divided soil. 



Of the finely divided part, 500 grains consisted of 

 18 grains of carbonate of lime, 

 330 — silicious sand — none xery coarse, 

 94 — impalpable aluminous and silicious 



earih, 

 35 — putrescent vegetable matter — none 



coarse or unrotled, 

 23 — loss. 



500^' 



1 refrain from stating more particulars of these 

 imeresting and valuable shelly lands, because it 

 has been promised that betler information on this 

 general subject, and more full details, shall be fur- 

 nished from a highly respectable source. It ia 

 enough heie to say that the value of the Indian 

 shell banks as manure, as well as of the marl 

 fourul in various places, have been used to great 

 advantage on Stoekley, as well as on some other 

 river farms. 



Wheat is scarcely grown at all in Nansemond, 

 and the shell lands are decidedly unfavorable to 

 that crop, but very friendly to clover — though this 

 grass has but lately been tried, or even supposed 

 capable of being here made. On clover on this 

 shell land, Mr. C. had tried gypsum without any 

 profitable effect. This result is very different 

 ii-om what I had counted on. But there was also 

 another difference in result — and one may serve to 

 explain the strangeness of the other. Though 

 perfectly satisfied that lime in soil, is essential to 

 the sure and profitable growth of clover — and 

 that shells or marl will insure its healthy growth 

 on even sandy and poor land — I had not learned 

 fi'om experience, that calcareous manure alone 

 Vvould sustain luxuriant clover, on a sandy soil, 

 even when aided by putrescent manure : though 

 supplying gypsum in such cases, another neces- 

 sary or specific manure for clover, will gene- 

 rally produce a heavy crop of this grass. * But 

 this made by Mr. C. was a very heavy and luxu- 

 riant crop, without gypsum — and waff no better 

 vi^here Ai was applied. I infer that nature had 

 somehow supplied the soil with gypsum in suffi- 

 cient quantity — which supposition will serve to ex- 

 plain all the results. 



The farms on the banks of Nansemond River 

 are in every respect, save one, most desirable as 

 places of residence, as well as for agricultural pro- 

 fit. Tiiat exception is their being very subject to 

 the only disease that has peculiar or much power 

 in lower Virginia — autumnal fevers, the effects of 

 malaria. I am loath to believe the cause of these 

 diseases to be beyond human control. It is not pro- 

 babJe that the neighboring salt marshes are the 

 source of this evil, because in other parts of low- 

 er Virginia, in the neighborhood of other marshes 

 apparently precisely similar, the country is com- 

 paratively healthy. So far as malaria emanates 

 fi'om Ihe dry land, (as no doubt it docs wherever 

 circumstances are iiivorable to its formation,) there 

 is little doubt but that this source nuiy be closed 

 up by the general and sufficient application of 

 marl, or other calcareous manures. The great 



