400 MARL NOT VALUED FORMERLY. 



ignorance continued to prevail among the more illiterate farmers; 

 and even some writers of reputation, to recent times, have shown 

 in their expressions the influence remaining of the previous and 

 universal ignorance on this subject. Long after these more correct 

 views of the constitution and true source of value of marl had been 

 published by the then most enlightened writers, their readers did 

 not learn from them enough of their truth to dispel the previously 

 long existing and prevailing erroneous views. Hence the " soapy 

 feel," and clayey constitution, and the crumbling in water, still 

 continued to be regarded by all as essential qualities and important 

 values of any manure operating as marl ; and comparatively little 

 importance was attached to the calcareous ingredient even when 

 that was not entirely disregarded or unknown. 



Hence Bordley, an extensive reader of the best and newest 

 English agricultural books, himself an agricultural author, and 

 moreover a practical and wealthy farmer, on the " marl region" 

 (now so known) of Maryland, did not learn v from his English 

 teachers and guides that marl was necessarily calcareous; and never 

 suspected that the beds of fossil shells, so abundant in his own 

 neighbourhood (if not on his own farm), either were marl, or had 

 any value as manure. "We may also infer that our great Virginian 

 agriculturist, John Taylor of Caroline, a much later writer than 

 Bordley, and also well acquainted with English agricultural authors, 

 had learned nothing more either of true marl, or of our beds of 

 fossil shells being (as indicated by the vulgar name), identical with 

 marl. Further : Philip Tabb, of Toddsbury, in Gloucester county, 

 was one of the earliest good farmers of Virginia, and deservedly 

 the most celebrated in his time for his judicious management, and 

 for his success in improving his farm and its productions. Yet 

 from all his lights, and doubtless his general knowledge of English 

 marling, he never suspected to be marl, and never thought of using 

 as such, or for manure, the bed of what is now called marl, which 

 underlies the whole farm, and is generally accessible within 4 or 5 

 feet of the surface. It has been only in latter days, that this most 

 abundant and easily accessible bed has been opened, and used 

 largely and advantageously as manure for this farm. 



3. And further : No person, deriving his information solely from 

 the descriptions of marl by English writers, and their remarks on 

 the subject, and searching for marl by aid of their directions, would 

 have supposed he had found the object of his search in the marine 

 fossil shell formation of this region so entirely different as is this 

 from all the marls (true or false) described by those writers, in 

 outward appearance, texture, and other physical qualities always; 

 and in some cases there is no less difference in the more important 

 chemical constitution, in regard to calcareous earth being an in- 

 gredient or not. 



