porated with clay in the shape of marl, or combined with sul- 

 phuric acid in that of gypsum." * 



There is one circumstance which seems to render the bene- 

 ficial effect of lime in our county very probable. The soil of 

 Essex with very few exceptions, is either what Geologists call 

 the primitive rocks, earth resulting from the decomposition of 

 these rocks, or of alluvial, the washings and depositions of the 

 primitive. We have I believe no limestone, and the quantity 

 of lime in our soil must of course be much smaller, than in a 

 soil resting on lime stone. The less we have in our soil, the 

 more beneficial would'its application probably be, and greater 

 in such a soil as ours, than in one of a different formation. An 

 additional incitement to the use of it is, that in Pennsylvania, 

 where probably more lime has been used for manure than in 

 all the other states, a much smaller quantity has been found 

 sufficient than is frequently applied in England and Scotland, 

 probably owing to the greater portion of calcareous matter 

 contained in the limestone used in this country. Thus though 

 lime might be dearer here, in proportion to its bulk than in 

 Great-Britain, it might be cheaper as a manure on account of 

 its superior strength, or in other words, the greater portion of 

 pure lime in our limestones. If twenty, thirty or forty bushels 

 of lime applied to an acre will produce a great and permanent 

 improvement in the constitution of the soil, and contribute by 

 its solvent powers to render animal and vegetable manures 

 more efficacious, then lime may prove one of the most effectual 

 modes of enriching our lands. 



Gypsum or Plaster of Paris. This mineral has in many 

 parts of our country produced a wonderful effect, and contri- 

 buted perhaps more than any other cause to the improvement 

 of agriculture in those places. It is supposed that near the 

 sea coast it has little or no effect, and has in some instances 

 been tried without success. It appears to me that further 

 trials are desirable. It is a manure so cheap, so small a quan- 

 tity as one or two bushels being sufficient for an acre, has pro- 

 duced such great crops elsewhere, that it seems expedient to 

 * Letters of Agricola. 



