228 INJUDICIOUS MARLING LABOURS. 



But the principal discouragement to the proper extension of 

 marling proceeds from the erroneous and exaggerated estimates of 

 the difficulty and cost. Estimates of the expenses required for 

 marling are commonly erected on as improper grounds, as those of 

 its profits. We never calculate the cost of any old practice. We 

 are content to clear wood-land that afterwards will not pay for the 

 expense of tillage j to keep under the plough, land reduced to five 

 bushels of corn to the acre; to build and continue to repair miles 

 of useless and perishable fences ; to make farm-yard manure 

 (though not much of this fault), and apply it to acid soils ; with- 

 out once calculating whether we lose or gain by any of these opera- 

 tions. But let any new practice be proposed, and then every one 

 begins to count its cost ; and on such erroneous premises, that if 

 applied to every kind of farm labour, the estimate would prove 

 that the most fertile land known could scarcely defray the expenses 

 of its cultivation. 



The usual injudicious modes of conducting marling operations 

 have served greatly to increase the actual cost. Some farmers, 

 even after some years of such work and experience, still waste 

 nearly or quite half their labour so employed. Many new begin- 

 ners, by their greater mismanagement and consequent loss, are so 

 discouraged as to be stopped almost at the very outset. Thus, a 

 little, but insufficient amount of experience in marling, is likely to 

 magnify the supposed difficulties. By such deficiency of judgment 

 and economy in directing and executing the labours, marling is 

 often made very costly. But so it would be, without information 

 or experience, with any other new farming operation. It is as easy 

 in this as in any other business to work judiciously and economi- 

 cally ; and if so conducted, marling (or liming), where properly 

 available, will be found the cheapest as well as the most productive 

 means for fertilization. 



The expenses of particular operations of marling, or liming, 

 have been, and of others may be, easily and correctly ascertained. 

 So have been, and may be, the early products and pro- 

 bable abiding profits of particular applications. But these two 

 actual results cannot be fairly combined, so as to indicate in 

 general the balance of profit exceeding the expense. For the 

 measure of increased product is in proportion to the quantity of 

 marl applied, and the previous want of the land for the application ; 

 and not to the expense of that application. It may happen that 

 the most expensive marling may be on land so little requiring that 

 improvement, or so little fitted to receive such improvement, that 

 but small benefit is produced. In other cases, where the expense 

 of marling is the least, because of great facilities, the benefit to the 

 land may be the greatest. In the former case, of maximum labour 

 and minimum increase of production, the net profit of the marling 



