FARMERS* REGISTER— LIMING LAND— WATER-BORNE MARL, &c. 



567 



KSTiarATE OF THE EXPENSE OF LIMING LAND, 

 FROM WATER-BORNE OYSTER SHELLS. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Charles City, December 2d, 1833. 

 I am sorry to have delayed sending; you the es- 

 timate promised of the cost of applying oyster 

 shell lime as a manure: it was however unavoid- 

 able. I might have given it before this, on my 

 own responsibility ; but preferred to have others of 

 as much experience to assist me in making it. 



In the first place then, the cost of shells lirought 

 to our landing places, is per hogshead of eighteen 

 bushels, 62^ cts. 



To cost of getting them from the craft, 



if very convenient for landing, 2^ 



To cutting wood, allowing 12 cords for 



one hundred hogsheads, 3 



To hauling shells to the wood, or wood 

 to the shells, as may be most conve- 

 nient, hauling out the shells after 

 burning, slaking, scattering, &c. 32 



100 

 Thus making the sum of one dollar the hogshead. 

 To afford then live hogsheads to the acre after 

 burning, (which has been the quantity applied by 

 my.self and my bi'other, on very stiff land,) one 

 third more must be added as the loss by that pro- 

 cess; and I am inclined to the opinion that a frac- 

 tion more may be added, which will make seven 

 hogsheads, the cost of which I have shewn above 

 to be seven dollars ; on a lighter soil, four hogs- 

 heads are deemed sufficient, which will diminish 

 the expense one dollar. If there is any error in 

 this estimate, I am satisfied that it is in the low 

 rate of charges : and I am confirmed in this opinion 

 by one of my tenants, who is a man of considera- 

 ble experience, having refused to accept the offer 

 of thirty-five cents per hogshead, as full compen- 

 sation for all the trouble and expense of liming, 

 save the purchase and delivery of the shell. 



C. H. MINGE. 



ESTIBIATE OF THE COST OF WATER-BORNE 

 MARL. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Walnut Grove, Charles City, Jan. 1, 1834. 



I am now enabled to complete the comparative 

 estimate of the expense of lime and water-borne 

 marl, for manure which you requested me to fur- 

 nish. If the statements submitted are not full in 

 every respect, they may at least be relied on so far 

 as they go. 



I conmienced regularly to work about the 15th 

 May to transport marl from Coggins' Point to my 

 farm, a distance of fifteen miles by water, and 

 ended on the 25th of December, a period of seven 

 months. I had engaged in the business three hands, 

 two of them at eight dollars per month, and the 

 other a boy worth about two dollars and fifty 

 cents. I purchased a craft, and when provided 

 with all the necessary fixtures for commencing 

 work, the cost was three hundred dollars. On the 

 supposition, that this craft will at the end of ten 

 years be entirely worthless, I will estimate the 

 " wear and tear" or loss of capital therein, at thirty 

 dollars per annum, the average annual repairs at 

 thirty dollars more, and the expense of provisions 

 for the hands at ninety dollars lor the year. With 

 these preliminaries, I think I may now fairly make 

 out my account for the transportation of the marl, 

 as follows : 



To cost of vessel, in " wear and 



tear" for seven months. 

 To average expense of repairs, 

 Todo. interest on #300, for seven 

 months. 



Hire of three hands for seven 



months. 

 Provisions for seven months, 

 Paid for uncovering marl, and 



for putting on board a purl of 



the whole quantity. 



a? 50 

 17 50 



10 50 



45 50 



122 50 

 52 50 



70 00 

 290 50 



By 15,000 bushels of marl, atl|| cents 



the bushel (very nearly) 290 50 



This makes the whole cost of the marl, put out 

 at my landing, less than 2 cents the heaped bushel. 

 The estimate for hauling, scattering, &c. I will 

 leave for you to add ; that depends h.owever on the 

 distance; and I can only say, that a single horse 

 cart was fully sufficient to keep way with the craft, 

 a distance of one thousand yards. I think I can 

 safely say, that no one can meet with more difficul- 

 ties than I have myself encountered in this under- 

 taking; my landing place being so bad, that I 

 have known the hands frequently engaged for a 

 whole week in unloading the craft, because of very 

 low tides ; when if the water had been sufficient to 

 admit them to the wharf, they might easily have 

 accomplished the work in half the time. I feel also 

 perfectly justified in saying, that had I been so 

 situated as to have the advantages of a landing 

 place which no tide could interfere with, that five 

 thousand bushels more of marl could have been 

 brought during the seven months. 



COLLIER n. MI?»GE. 



REMARKS ox THE COMPARATIVE EXPENSE 

 OF USING LIME AND .MARL. 



[Tlic foregoing estimate may be iiiipliciily i-elied oHj 

 so far as it rests on actvial expenditures and operations — 

 and in the items which are necessarily conjectural, we 

 have every assurance of correctness, that can be fur- 

 nished by the practical and businessdike habits which 

 characterize the writer. But as the estimate is not com- 

 pletely carried out, we will attempt to supply the defi- 

 ciency, and will add some observations on the compara- 

 tive expense of water-borne marl and lime. 



According to the estimates of the cost of labor used 

 for marling given in the Essay on Calcareous Mamires, 

 A horse for a year's work, and in- 

 cluding every expense, costs $83 44 

 A boy to drive, 44 67 

 Cart and tools, 14 00 



$147 11 

 At which rate, the carting of 1 5,000 bushels of marl 

 1,000 yards, from the landing to the field, in seven 

 months, cost JiS.5 81 



Spreading the loads, in the field, at ten cents 



the 100 bushels, 11 50 



Cost of transportation &c. before stated, 



S97 31 

 2S0 50 



Whole expense of applying 15,000 bushels, $387 81 

 Or rather more than 2i cents the bushel. 



