. Proceedings of tee Farmers' Club. 219 



man whose lands will not grow clover unless there is marl or some 

 other fertilizer within his reach that will make clover grow, has 

 starvation staring him in the face, and that continually. He had 

 better be a woodchopper, and send his wife and children to picking 

 berries in these " barrens," than to continue plowing. 



Many, even in Hammonton, will tell you that they have tried 

 marl on certain crops, and found no benefit. That is oft'en true of 

 all the manures. Some crops are benefited more than others, and 

 often the seasons have their influence; but I would appeal to all 

 such to try it again. Try it on grass and for potatoes, especially. 

 Try that from Squankum, as it is generally considered the best. 

 But here let me say that I must not be considered as disparaging 

 the Pemberton or West Jersey marls. The results of their use in 

 Burlington and other counties are ample to settle the question of 

 their value. 



The State Agricultural Society has done much to develop this 

 marl question. A committee, with Prof. Cook as chairman, has 

 carried on a very large correspondence with practical farmers, who 

 have used marl largely for many years. Many of these letters 

 have been published, and more will be, and the favorable testi- 

 mony is universal. 



I have just received a letter from Prof. Cook, regretting that he 

 could not be with us on this occasion. The following is the conclu- 

 sion of his letter: 



" Our experiments with marl are successful beyond our most 

 sanguine expectations; and such, I am glad to say, is the result 

 wherever it is tried, quite to the south end of the State." 



Much is said at this time about decreasino- the length of a le^al 



O o C 



day's labor. Legislators are appealed to, to make such laws. Labor 

 is often very hard; those of us who have worked sixteen hours a 

 day in harvest time, know how hard it is. But it is a curse upon 

 mankind, for which the Bible tells us our ancestors were responsil)le. 

 We want comfortable houses; many of us want very fine clothing; 

 and must have food — if possible we will have it three times a day. 

 Now, when flour is almost twenty dollars a barrel, potatoes more 

 than a dollar a busliel, and meats at starvation prices, as compared 

 with the means of many, it appears to me we want more rather than 

 less labor, and it must be so until we can have more human food. 

 Then let us labor on, until we can have railroads that will spread 

 broadcast such fertilizers as this all over our laud; until more 

 dredges like this shall be wanted to take out marl. No ! intelli- 



