210 



FARMERS' REGISTER -GYPSEOUS EARTH. 



clover, sown on the wheat, would show the effect 

 of the sjypseous earlh equal to any on other hind, 

 where it had been applied alone. In this I was to- 

 tally disappointed. Not the least effect of p,ypsum 

 couhl be discovered on the clover — and thus the 

 whole of this application was thrown away, as 

 well as the greater part of the succeeding win- 

 ter's application, which in like manner had been 

 mixed with my other manure, and v/hicli had not 

 then arrived at the lime to prove its uselessness. The 

 cause of this inefficiency is now plain enough. 

 Fermenting manure, (and probably all ferment- 

 ing vegetable matter,) forms oxalic acid, which 

 attracts lime so powerfully as to take it fro;Ti all 

 other combinations in which it can be presented. 

 This acid thus meeting with the sulphate of lime 

 in the gypseous earth, at once decomposed it, and 

 destroyed the peculiar manure before existing. 

 No particle of gypsum remained to be carried out, 

 and act on the land. It is useless here to extend 

 my remarks on this operation of oxalic acid, as it 

 has been done at length elsewhere :* it is suffi- 

 cient to show by this statement tiiat my obstinate 

 adherence to this mode of application, for two win- 

 ters, caused the loss of the greater part of gyp- 

 seous earth, as well as the labor of applying it. 

 The rich seam was by that time exhausted, and 

 my later use has been with the poorer body, v/hicb, 

 it is possible, may not be cheaper than to buy the im- 

 ported gypsum. However, witiiin the last year, 

 my friend and neighbor Thomas Cocke of Tar- 

 bay, by applying earth apparently still poorer in 

 gypsum, has produced such remarkable benefit 

 on clover, that I am encouraged to return again 

 to this kind of manure. The earth he uses is 

 brown, and diiiers much from the general appear- 

 ance as described above. We are both satisfied 

 that the gypseous earth possesses some power to aid 

 the growth of clover, independent of the pure 

 gypsum contained. Last year, (1832) to lest this 

 opmion, I sov.ed French gypsum on clover at the 

 dififerenl rates of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bushels to the acre 

 on marked spaces. The benefit of the smallest 

 application doubled the crop of clover — and it was 

 increased by the heavier dressing, tliough not at 

 all proportioned to the quantities applied. But the 

 clover on the heaviest application (of 4 bushels,) 

 was not to compare to the effect seen on neighbor- 

 ing and similar land, from 20 bushels of my best 

 gypseous earth, and which was not greater than 

 had often been found elsewhere. Mr. Cocke finds 

 equal benefit, on clover made on poor liglit land, 

 ^that is, it is made as heavy as it can well stand,) 

 Irom 40 bushels of his earth which appears so poor. 

 It is necessary to observe that all these instances 

 of benefit are on land made calcareous by fossil 

 shells : and on my own, last spoken of, before that 

 operation, the gypseous earth had been used, in hea- 

 vy as well as light applications, and without the least 

 effect. The very rich bed of gypseous earth at 

 Evergreen has only just now been opened for use. 

 The statements made of my own practice show 

 that I cannot boast of having derived much (if 

 any) profit from the use of gypseous earth. Ne- 

 vertheless, my experience may be more useful to 

 others than it has been to myself, and the misap- 

 plications caused by my inexperience and igno- 

 rance may serve to show others, who have access 

 to such manure, how to make proper use of it. 



+ Essay on Calccireous Manures, pp. 143 and S;iJ4. 



Within the last year, circumstances have attracted 

 attention, and been made public, which induce the 

 belief that this Ibrniation of gypseous earlh is much 

 more extensive than was liefore supposed. The 

 marl beds in Hanover and Henrico, not far below 

 the granite ridge, are covcied by an upper I ed of 

 clay, which is very different in appearance from 

 our gypseous earth, but agrees with it in being 

 full of impressions of shells, and being destitute of 

 any portion of tho carbonate of lime, with which 

 it was evidently so well furnished at some former 

 time No gypsum is visible. This earth also dif- 

 fers from that of Prince George in containing pure 

 sulphur generally diifused throughout, as made 

 evident by its strong sulpl)ureous scent. I do not 

 know tliat this singular and extensive formation is 

 valuable as manure — but it is at least worth ex- 

 amination and trial. The clay bank through which 

 Governor's street in Richmond is cut, is full of 

 such impresssions of shells, though it does not con- 

 tain, and is not known even to cover, any remain- 

 ing calcareous matter. If shells are below, as is 

 probable, this is very near their termination in this 

 direction. 



In the bed of Howard's Creek, at the point 

 where it Hows nearest to the White Sulphur 

 Spring, (within a few hundred yards distance,) 

 there are many pebbles, varying greatly in form, 

 appearance, and chemical composition, but agree- 

 ing in containing (like the earth before described) 

 numerous hollow ibrms of small shells, of which 

 nothing of the substance now remains, nor any 

 trace of carbonate of lime. These stones are as 

 solid and hard as those of similar external appear- 

 ance usually are, which makes still more strange 

 and unaccountable the entire disappearance of the 

 shells which have at a former time been enclosed. 

 I have mentioned this fact because it may possibly 

 attract the attention of some of the men of science 

 who visit that place, and induce them to observe 

 and explain these singular facts. Th.e silicious 

 fixed rocks lying close oy the Sulphur Spring also 

 have many star-like impressions on their surfaces, 

 (but not within, as in the other cases,) which 

 from their similarity and regularity of form, must 

 have been caused by small shells of one particular 

 species. I found a similar impression on a pebble 

 in the bed cf the Calf Pasture River — and per- 

 haps such facts may be numerous, and well known 

 to others. In all those cases, there was not the 

 least particle of carbonate of lime remaining in 

 these stones, (as proved by chemical tests,) nor 

 any appearance (to the eye) of any other salt of 

 lime, to v.'hich the carbonate might have been 

 changed. 



The highland which lies over the whole extent 

 of the gypseous formation in Prince George pre- 

 sents a surface and qualities of very peculiar ap- 

 pearance, and which may possibly have some con- 

 nection with the gypseous bed below. If so, my 

 description may direct more successfully the search 

 for gypseous earth elsewhere. The land from Bay- 

 ley's Creek to Coggins' Point, except where in- 

 terrupted by some low alluvial tracts, seems as if 

 it had been originally a high and level bluff, or 

 abrupt termination of table land, v/hich had sunk in 

 successive slices, the lowest next the river, so as now 

 to present somewhat the appearance of a hill side 

 cut into terraces. Of course, this form is extreme- 

 ly irregular. The broken strata cause the great- 

 est variety of surface : fossil shells fit for use at 



