COSTS or MARLING. 325 



Which makes the cost, per hundred bushels, 97 i cents; or, per 

 acre, as applied, at 598 bushels, $5.81 J; or, if at 300 bushels, 

 which would have been an abundant first dressing, $2.9 1J per acre. 

 These two jobs extended, without interruption, except from bad 

 weather or accidents to carts, from April 20th to May 31st, 1824. 

 Two ordinary horses and a very good mule were worked in light sin- 

 gle carts. The best of the two horses was seventeen years old. The 

 two had been kept at hauling marl, whenever weather permitted, 

 from the beginning of the preceding November ; and, indeed, the 

 same two horses had carried out nearly all the marl on Coggins 

 farm, since the commencement in 1818. The day's travel from pit 

 to field and back, for both the two jobs, varied from 22 to 23 

 miles, besides about 1 miles in all from and to the stable. For 

 the digging, loading, and carting, two men and two small boys were 

 employed. 



III. The third estimated job was on Shellbanks farm, also in 

 Prince George county, over a much larger surface than the preced- 

 ing, but from sundry different pits, over different routes, and to 

 different fields. The overlay was mostly thinner than the marl 

 beneath, and both were dry in most cases ; the working of both 

 easier than usual ; the distances moderate, the average from pits 

 to fields being not more than half a mile ; though the land being 

 hilly, almost every load had to rise a hill from the pit, from 40 to 

 100 feet of perpendicular height. In 1828, soon after buying this 

 poor farm, I began the marling, and in about 4 months finished 

 120| acres at rates between 230 and 280 bushels per acre. The 

 time taken up in this work was five days in January, and all Febru- 

 ary and March, with two single mule carts (and but ordinary 

 mules), and from August 5th to September 27th, with a much 

 stronger force. 



Taking everything into consideration, I should suppose that the 

 labour and cost of this large job of marling will be equal to, if not 

 greater than the average of all that may be undertaken, and 

 judiciously executed, on farms having plenty of this means for im- 

 provement, at convenient distances. The whole cost of this large 

 job was as follows : 



Preparatory work, including uncovering marl, cutting 

 and repairing the necessary roads, and bringing corn 

 (from another farm) for the teams digging, carrying 

 out, and spreading 6892 loads of marl (4 heaped 

 bushels only, because of the steep hills, and sometimes 

 wet marl), 31,014 bushels on 120 acres, - $265 90 



At the average rate of 57 loads, or 259 bushels per 



acre, the average expense was to the acre, - 2 28 



Or $2.58, if for 300 bushels to the acre. 

 And to- the bushel. - - 86-lOOths of a cent. 

 28 



