FARMERS' REGISTER— &YPSEOLS EARTH. 



211 



manure, barren clay, barren calcareous sand, and 

 rich black soil, were all to Ijc fotind in almost eve- 

 ry acre, and remained distinct, until mixed by the 

 cultivation of the surface. It does not rest on 

 mere conjecture that this land took its present 

 form and depression by sinkingorsZi'/)/3('ji§:, as a si- 

 milar natural operation to considerable extent, has 

 taken place on the Tarhay farm witliin a few years, 

 the progress and consequences of which are still 

 visible. 



The rich f^ypseous bank, at Evergreen, is at a 

 place where the river is encroaching on the land, 

 and every storm, or very high tide, adds to the acres 

 which have doultless i)een already swept away. 

 In this manner was formerly exposed the remains 

 of the trunk of a tree, lying even with the beach, 

 and which when v/et, presented the same spon- 

 gy and soft texture on the surface, smooth and 

 even yielding to the touch, as is usually seen in 

 rotten and water-soaked logs. But except the 

 surface, v/here water had probal)ly dissolved the 

 substance, every pore and cell of the log was iilled 

 with gypsum, though tiie form and grain of wood 

 remained distinct. This complete tilling of the 

 cells could only have taken place when the gyp- 

 sum was in a fluid state. The circumstance of 

 a tree being found beneath a bank of shells, or 

 what had lieen shells, miglit seem to be a proof 

 that the shells were the later deposit of the two. 

 But it is easier to believe that the whole body of 

 earth, (though perhaps 50 feet high) was former- 

 ly thrown into its present place, by one of those 

 land-slips which have been already spoken of. 



There is a kintl of earth in New Jersey which 

 was called inarl, (as almost every earthy manure 

 has been) but which seemed to me, from the im- 

 perfect descriptions given of it, to be the same kind 

 of gypseous earth that I have described. Although 

 this Jersey manure excited attention, and was 

 bought, and tried, and reported on, by Judge Pe- 

 ters, there was no certain indication given to the 

 public of the component parts of the earth, or 

 what constituted its fertilizing pov.cr. Judge Pe- 

 ters spej^s thus of it. " It is s;id by some that the 

 Jersey pijritous earth, called marl, is of this descrip- 

 tion, [i. e. a mere stimulant ;] and by others tiiat 

 it is permanently fertilizing. Nothing decisive 

 can yet be pronounced, as its many varieties differ 

 in their respective etTects. There are facts both 

 ways ; so that this earth when applied, and the soil 

 it is intended to assist, should be carefully scruti- 

 nized, and the qualities practically known. Some 

 English chemists to whom it has been sent, style 

 it an Hydrat nf Jron j while others designate its 

 composition, as a coUectien of decomposed granite, 

 schorl, silex, alumine, iron ; in some specimens 

 (no doubt those mixed with shells,) lime and mag- 

 nesia, with sulphur. A more accurate knov/ledge 

 of its parts and properties, is still required ; and it 

 is to be wished that our own chemists will give us 

 their assistance. Broom gra-is and c ther pests on 

 worn lands, may be destroyed by a top dressing of 

 Ibis earth and chloritic sands of a similar, though 

 not 50 potent a nature ; which substitute a natu- 

 ral growth of white clover."* In a communica- 

 tion of later date. Judge Peters made the i()liow- 

 ing incidental remarks. '•' Four years ago, I pro- 

 cured 40 tons of Jersey manure, and spread it as 



* Notices for a Young Farmer^by Judge Peters. — 

 Phil. Memoirs, vol. 4. 



a lop-dressing on many parts of the Belmont 

 farm, on sand, clay, loam, and in every variety of 

 exposure, as well as on moist and dry grounds. 

 But in no instance any profitable efTect appeared. 

 A broad strip of tlie lawn, light and sandy, had 

 been top dressed, and showed no signs of meliora- 

 tion herctolbrc. This strip is part of my little oat 

 field ; and it has [tliis year] thrown up a most luxu- 

 riant growth, far exceeding any other part, (though 

 l];e whole was good, having been well limed 

 throughout,) and affords a proof that this manure 

 agrees with and co-operates with lime. I never 

 saw, in the richest soil, stronger, better headed, 

 or more promising plants. It would have been in- 

 compatible with my objects, or I should have suffer- 

 ed it to ripen, for experiment of its product. Mr. 

 Mark Reeve, who is very intelligent on this sub- 

 ject, (and to whom I sent a sample of the ma- 

 nure,) informed me that 1 had been imposed on by 

 the person from v,'hora I procured it ; the article 

 used by me being only the cover of the true kind. 

 Its elTect, luxuriant as it is, must have been more 

 so, if the perfect manure had been used."* I have 

 peen it stated elsewhere, (though I am not able 

 now to refer to the authority) that the Jersey earth 

 was particularly beneficial to clover, and that it 

 was used in small quantities, compared with other 

 manures. 



The description of the Jersey earth, and the ef- 

 fects imputed to its use, agree very closely with 

 those of our gypseous earth. But it also seems, 

 that no one entertained a suspicion that its value 

 was owing to its containing, or forming gypsum. 

 I therefore infer that the eartli there used was si- 

 milar to the great body and poorest kind of ours, 

 having not a particle of gypsum remaining. — 

 if so, the effects produced as manure, were proba 

 bly owing lo either s»//>/ia/e of iron, or siilphuret of 

 iron remaining in excess in the earth — which, 

 when meeting with lime in the soil, formed gyp- 

 sum — and if no lime was present, jcmaincd either 

 (as the sulphuret,') an inert, or (as the sulphate of 

 iron,') a poisonous ingredient of the soil. Jroii 

 pyrites (sulphuret of iron) have been used with 

 much benefit as manure — though that effect would 

 proliably depend on whether the soil was calcare- 

 ous or otherwise. 



From the publication of the passages quoted 

 above, and many others on the same manure that 

 appeared about 1819, and soon after, it might be 

 supposed that the attention and labors of chemists 

 would have been drawn to this manure, and its 

 composition and value clearly settled; and that 

 practical farmers would have fully profited by 

 this instruction. On the contrary, all notice of 

 the manure soon ceased, and no information there- 

 on has since been given to the public. It may 

 therefore be inferred that the manure was us^ 

 so ignorantly, as not to be found profitable in ge- 

 neral, and that even the solicitations of Judge Pe- 

 ters, and the influence of his venerable name, 

 could not obtain this small aid from men of sci- 

 ence, which might have shown when and why the 

 manure was useful, or otherwise. If my views of 

 its constitution are not mistaken, it is certain that 

 this manure will be found useless on most poor 

 sods, unless calcareous earth is used previously, or 

 in conjunction. edmund ruffin. 



Shellbanks, Aug. 9, 1833. 



I Phil. Memoirs, vol. 4. 



