&l)c iavmcv's iHontljln Disitov. 



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decomposed vegetable matter, which has accu- 

 mulated in the marshes, leaves, weeds, &c, and 

 incorporating them with the contents of his barn 

 yard; independent of their own fertilizing prop- 

 erties, they are valuable as absorbents, to receive 

 and retain the more volatile ingredients that 

 otherwise might he lost in the process of fer- 

 mentation and decomposition; u few bushels of 

 plaster may be used with much advantage for 

 the same object. 



It was the maxim of u wise man, who began 

 the world with nothing, and became indepen- 

 dent — and that too, without the charge of dis- 

 honesty, or extortion ever having been alleged 

 ^against him — that "a penny saved, is two pence 

 gained." It is emphatically true, with regard 

 . to the saving, and judicious application of ma- 

 nure. 



k As nn evidence of what care and attention in 

 regard to making and saving manure will ac- 

 complish, it is within the knowledge of the 

 Writer, that two loads of manure (with two yoke 

 of oxen) have been hauled out this season, for 

 i very acre- of arable Ian. I on the farm ; and with 

 a small exception, produced on the farm itself, 

 without extraneous aid. 



As germaine to our present purpose and ob- 

 ject, I will here remark, that many farmers 

 whose lands most require "renovating," keep 

 . too many horses; in nineteen cases out of twen- 

 ty, and for nearly all fany purposes, one or two 

 ^good yoke of oxen are deeidedly preferable. 

 They cost no more at first, and will perform twice 

 y the labor; save in expense of harness, and still 

 more in keeping ; and after working five or 

 six years under good management, are usual- 

 ly worth more than the fust cost, fur the sham- 

 bles. 



.Marl. — I can say but little from experience in 

 the use of calcareous manures; but am fully 

 satisfied boll) by information derived from 

 others, and from personal observation, that 

 wherever it abounds, it might be made a mike 

 of wealth to the proprietor, and the adja- 

 cent districts which admit of water transporta- 

 tion. 



The only apparent reason why they are not 

 more so is, either ignorance of its great fertiliz- 

 ing properties, or a lank of the necessary enter- 

 prise and industry to become rich, when every fa- 

 cility for the purpose, is as it were, laid at their 

 very doors. The quantity of marl required to 

 the acre to produce much beneficial result, does 

 not admit of extended land transportation ; but 

 there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of 

 acres, bordering on and near tide water, both in 

 this and neighboring States, now thrown out as 

 waste lands, because they will no longer yield 

 even a stinted growth of vegetation ; most, if 

 not all of which, might readily be lerlaimed by 

 the judicious use of marl; and at one-fourth 

 the cost per acre, that lands in the interior — origi- 

 nally no better, if so good — are made to yield 

 ten to twelve barrels of corn, or thirty to forty 

 bushels of wheat to the acre. 1 have been in- 

 formed by some of the large landed proprietors 

 — not owning, nor residing within less than 

 eight or ten miles of the marl beds — that a boat 

 load of a thousand to twelve hundred bushels or 

 marl, rich in carbonate of lime, could be deliv- 

 ered at many of their landings, at an expense 

 not exceeding eight to ten dollars. Yet not one 

 bushel was ever used ! 



But as was justly remarked, by one of these 

 very intelligent and hospitable gentlemen, " it's 

 no use to preach to a deaf congregation," and a 

 further remark or two will only be .added; not 

 altogether without the hope that something will 

 eventually '• stir them up," and induce a trial at 

 least, of this valuable manure. It matters less, 

 how, when, or what quantity of marl or lime is 

 applied; only make the application, and that 

 pretty liberally. Its application, like lime, is 

 best made one, two or three years, and en the 

 surface, before breaking up the laud ; and 

 thus give it the benefit of the* winter's frosts 

 and snows to dissolve and incorporate it with 

 the soil. 



Lime. — This, next to the proper draining 

 (when necessary: for even lime will not enable 

 us to dispense with it) and deep ullage, 1 con- 

 sider the most certain and permanent agent in 

 " renovating worn-out lands" of any other sub- 

 stance with which I am acquainted ; whether 



mineral, animal, or vegetable: and when it can 

 he obtained at a reasonable cost, even with some 

 miles hauling in addition, it is generally to he 

 preferred, if only one kind of •' bought manure " 

 is to he used. It may however be used 

 freely in conjunction witli all other manures, 

 and with decided advantage, if done with judg- 



llieiil. 



Alter many years experience in the use of 

 lime, 1 would advise in all cases where it can be 

 accomplished, to spread it on the surface from 

 one to three or four years, before the laud is 

 broken up. The effect of a single winter's 

 frosts and rains will more effectually dissolve 

 anil bring it into action, and benefit the succeed- 

 ing crop, as also the laud itself, than is attained 

 in a longer period, by ploughing it in as soon as 

 applied. In (his way also, a much larger quan- 

 tity may be safely applied to the same [and at a 

 single dressing. As there is no loss to lime 

 from atmospheric influence, it should be kept 

 near the surface: and the proper quantity to use 

 to the best advantage, can only lie determined 

 by the price, and the state the land may be in, 

 at the time. With a good sod of grass roots to 

 receive it, one hundred or even one hundred 

 and fifty bushels to the acre, will do no harm : 

 but on stiff clays, with little soil or mould on 

 the surface, fifty bushels would be a very liberal 

 application as a first dressing, if put on imme- 

 diately alter ploughing. It would be belter to 

 apply a less quantity at first, and renew it as 

 soon as an increased growth of vegetation could 

 be obtained. 



When lime is applied in very large quantities, 

 and immediately incorporated with a poor soil, 

 having little or no vegetable matter in it, the 

 effect is to combine with the silicious particles — 

 abounding more or less in all clay soils — and 

 form hard compact masses, that are not separated 

 by years of after tillage. This mode, therefore, 

 to say the least, is like " burying the talent"; for 

 so much capital lies dormant, and neither bene- 

 fits the farmer or his land. Twenty-five or 

 thirty bushels as a first application, particularly 

 if aided by even a light dressing of vegetable 

 manure, will make a much quicker return for the 

 outlay. 



As to the modus operandi of lime much has 

 been written; and various, if not conflicting 

 theories put forth; nor do all agree as to the 

 most judicious mode of application. 



I consider it altogether unnecessary here, to 

 attempt any explanation of the chemical chan- 

 ges produced in the soil by its use, or to give 

 my own opinion on the subject, though formed 

 after careful observation and from years experi- 

 ence. To the inexperienced, however, it is of 

 much more importance to be informed how to 

 use it to the best advantage. And as previously 

 remarked, it is of still less consequence, how, 

 or when applied, so that it is done. 



Lime will act very beneficially, as ] know from 

 experience, on stiff tenacious clays, and so near 

 a stale of sterility as scarcely to re-produce the 

 seed sown on them. But if used under such 

 circumstances, and without the aid of any kind 

 of manure, considerable time must elapse be- 

 fore much amelioration of the soil need be ex- 

 pected. 



Theory without practice, does not often carry 

 muchweightwitl.it; and on the mind of the 

 farmer, generally speaking, it acts with less force 

 perhaps than with most other classes in the 

 community ; for unless an array of facte, or 

 good evidence, is adduced to inspire confidence, 

 be is slow to change; the more so, when he. 

 knows that even a partial failure in a single 

 crop, from experimenting, will be sensibly lelt 

 in his slender income, and perhaps for a year to 

 come. This feeling, to a certain extent at least, 

 is all right and proper; for experiments, to lest 

 any new theory, are best undertaken on a limit- 

 ed scale: time may be lost thereby, but money 

 may be saved in the end. 



I will now briefly give some account of the 

 practiad operation of my theory. My first ap- 

 plication of lime to any extent, was two hundred 

 bushels, mostly air slaked, hauled six miles, and 

 applied to four acres; just broken up for a corn 

 crop, and harrowed in. This portion of the 

 field particularly, was so thoroughly exhausted 

 by previous bad management, that the yield in 

 corn was only some five or six bushels to the 



acre ; nor was the crop sensibly increased by 

 the lime. As the main object in cultivation was 

 to set the field in grass, the corn was followed 

 by a crop of small grain, and a liberal supply of 

 clover and timothy seed, and plaster; the latter 

 producing no visible effect whatever; and near- 

 ly all the grass seeil perished, leaving the surface 

 as bare as before. But before the field again 

 came in course for cultivation, the good effect of 

 the lime was so evident by the growth of white 

 clover— a new variety in that vicinity— that I was 

 encouraged to lime the whole field containing 

 about twelve acres, and also including this four 

 acres; put on as before, just after breaking up 

 for corn. The crop on this portion, was increa- 

 sed fully five to six fold, over that adjoining, and 

 but recently limed ; thus liberally paying all ex- 

 penses, and has continued ever smce to produce 

 profitable crops. Plaster now acts on it with 

 marked effect. The first application was made 

 some eighteen to nineteen years since ; and to 

 test the durability of lime, these four acres have 

 been kept for experiment, and without the addi- 

 tion of other manure; except a portion intended 

 for still further experiment. About two acres 

 were sown in broadcast corn, with two hundred 

 pounds Peruvian guano— then followed wheat 

 on the four acres, and with two hundred 

 pounds guano to the acre, leaving two lands 

 without guano. 



The corn was materially benefitted by the gu- 

 ano ; but the wheat was not benefitted by the 

 previous application of it, though it was nearly 

 or quite doubled, over the two lands left without 

 any guano: the wheat was harvested two years 

 since ; and no one could now point out by the 

 growth ol clover, uniformly good on the whole, 

 and equally limed, which portion had and which 

 had no guano — the conclusion is, that the " reno- 

 vating " effects of lime, are thus far, ten times 

 as durable as guano; how much longer, remains 

 to be seen. 



Some nine or ten years since, I determined to 

 reclaim an adjoining field, at whatever cost. I 

 was told long previous by one of my neighbors 

 who sold his farm and removed to the West, in 

 order to settle on better land, that the attempt 

 would be futile; or, if it ever was made produc- 

 tive, it would cost a great deal more than the 

 land was worth. The prospect was forbidding ; 

 for the larger portion was as much reduced as 

 could be, by shallow tillage, no manure, no 

 grass seed sown, and constant washing, even to 

 gullies, and producing little else than running 

 briars, It was broken up in the fall and winter, 

 to a much greater depth than it was ever plough- 

 ed before ; sixty bushels of quick lime to the 

 acre were applied in the spring, the ground well 

 harrowed and planted in corn; such portions as 

 required it, having been well under-drained— 

 some two to three acres— and which were about 

 the amount that produced any thing of a crop, 

 or that more than paid the expense of plough- 

 ing. A crop of oats and grass seed followed ; 

 as it was not considered worth the trouble and 

 expense to put in a crop of wheat, on two-thirds 

 of the field. After six or seven years, the same 

 field again coming in course, exactly the i 

 plan was pursued, as to ploughing and b 

 hut rather increasing the depth than other- 

 wise. 



The crop of corn though injured by the bud 

 worm, was good— enabling me to do, what I had 

 rarely, or never done before, sell from one-fourth 

 to one-half of the crop. Oats followed on about 

 two-thirds of the field, with some five or six 

 bushels of bones to the acre, and wheat on the 

 balance, with guano; both heavy crops, and 

 lodging over the greater part of the field. Then 

 followed a wheat crop on the whole; manured 

 as much as possible from the barn yard, and on 

 the balance a light dressing of guano of some 

 eighty to one hundred pounds to the acre. 



The average yield of the field, was over thirty- 

 three bushels to the acre. 



These results are attained with certainty; for 

 every field and lot are accurately surveyed, and 

 the contents noted on the plat of the farm ; and 

 the product of this field was kept separate, 

 threshed, anil measured by itself. The greater 

 portion suffered from the drought early last year ; 

 and the harvesting was badly done, owing to the 

 fallen and tangled slate of the grain from a 

 storm about the time of ripening; but 1 have no 



