vol.. XVII NO. 11. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL, 



85 



to peat. Hence, as these swamps are rarely exca- 

 vated, the marl is not apt to be discovered ; or if 

 found, it is supposed to be nothing- more tlian white 

 clay and sand, which, indeed, it does very much re- 

 semble. In order to ascertain tlie presence of marl 

 in a swamp, I prepared an iron rod, several feet 

 lonjr, near the end of wliich was a groove, in fact 

 it formed a sort of auger. When pressed into tlie 

 ground and withdrawn, it would always retain in 

 the groove some of the matter from the bottom of 

 the hole, and in this way, in a few minutes, not on- 

 ly the existence of marl might be ascertained, but 

 the thickness of the bed. Yet after all, since the 

 swamps where it occurs are usually very wet, and 

 easily penetrated, a rough pole is better for dis- 

 covering marl and its thickness, than the iron borer 

 which I have described. For some of it will ad- 

 here to a pole plunged into it, even thougli that 

 pole must be drawn through several feet of vegeta- 

 ble mud above it. And if the pole be plunged to 

 the bottom of the bed, the distance along the pole 

 covered witli marl, will show tlie thickness of the 

 bed ; except tliat the lower extremity of the pole 

 will show beneath the layer of marl the clay or 

 sand as far as they were penetrated ; and this ex- 

 tent must be subtracted from the whole length 

 covered with marl. I have been thus particular in 

 describing the method of searching for marls, in 

 the confidence that if gentlemen residing in the 

 towns above mentioned will adopt it, many new 

 beds will be brought to light. 



There is a substance in the central and eastern 

 parts of the state, in exactly the same situation as 

 the marl of Berkshire, which resembles it also very 

 precisely in external characters, and is also like 

 marl very light ; and yet it is not marl. It does 

 not contain carbonate of lime, but is composed 

 chiefly of silica. Specimens of it will be found 

 in the collection from several places. (See No. 

 157, which is from Spencer; No. 169, from Barre, 

 and No. 180, from Andover.) It is easy, notwith- 

 standing its general resemblance, to distinguish it 

 from marl by a few drops of vinegar, oil of vitroil, 

 aqua fortis, or any other acid. If it be -marl, the 

 acid will produce in it small bubbles occasioned 

 by the escape of gas — if not marl, no effervesence 

 will be produced. And this is a universal test, 

 which is almost infallible, for distinguishing marl 

 in all circumstances. 



One other circumstance respecting the Berk- 

 shire marl, which will aid in distinguishing it. It 

 abounds every where with small fresh water shells, 

 such as now occur m the ponds of that region, and 

 therefore it is unquestionably true fresh water marl, 

 and not shell marl. The epidermis of the shell is 

 usually gone. Such shells are rarely found in 

 much quantity where lime does not exist, although 

 I have seen them in mud that did not effervesce. 

 But their presence should lead us to search care 

 fully for calcareous matter: for how can tliese ani 

 mals form their shells without lime ? 



The manner in which these Berkshire marls were 

 fonned, is very obvious. They result from the car- 

 bonate of lime brought into ponds by water, and 

 there at length deposited. After the pond is filled 

 nearly up, vegetables begin to grow over the marl, 

 and thus at length a deposite of peaty matter cov 

 ers tlie marl. The process, I doubt not, is now 

 going on in most limestone countries, and thus a 

 vast amount of valuable matter for agriculture is 

 accumulating in spots usually regarded as waste 

 places. 



The Berkshire marls, above described, appear to 



me to be some of the richest and best that ever oc- 

 cur. Marls are usually valued only for the calca- 

 reous matter whicli they contain. But by adopting 

 ■Dr. Dana's method of analysis, we find that they 

 also contain no small quantity of soluble and in- 

 soluble geine, derived from the vegetable matter 

 that covers tlieni. This must make tliem still more 

 valuable when applied to the soil. They contain 

 likeiviso a small portion of phosphate of lime, in- 

 creasing their value still more : while the granitic 

 sand in them, the only part that is of no value, is 

 in most cases extremely small. 



Massachnsetts Hortlcnltnral Society. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, Sept. 15, 1838. 



Pears. — From S. Downer, Urbaniste, Dix, Gush- 

 ing, and Wurtemberg. 



From John Richardson, Beauty of Brussels. 



From John Lowell, Beurre Spence, Bergamotte, 

 Paysans, Beurre, Creppeaux. 



From Mrs Tim. Bigelow, Bartlett 



From Dr Harris, Bon Chretien. 



From E. Vuse, Julienne, Dutchesse d'Angou- 

 leme. 



From S. Sweetser, Julienne, Fulton, Beurre 

 d'lel. 



From D. Parks, Bartlett. 



Apples. — From S. Downer, Porter. 



From J. Dewolf, Spice Sweeting. 



From E. Vose, Summer Pearmain.. 



From John Warren, American Nonpareil, (so 

 called, but not rightly named.) 



Peaches. — From S. Pliipps, Red Rareripe, Roy- 

 al George. 



From S. Vose, a Seedling. 



From Mrs Bigelow, Rareripe. 



JVectairnes. — From J. C. Howard, Violet. 



From Thomas Mason, Elrige, Bromfield, Brynon. 



Plums. — From S. Pond, Smith's Orleans, Corses 

 Field Marshal, White Gage, Duane's Purple. 



From Messrs Winship's, Small Plums, raised 

 from stones brought from beyOnd the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. 



Grapes. — From S. Downer, Miller's Burgundy. 



From J. C. Howard, Isabella, Sweetwater. 



From Mrs Sarah Jones, White Sweetwater. 

 For the Committee, 



L. P. GROSVENOR, Chairman. 



RoxBURT, Sept. 15, 1838. 



Sir, I send to your society specimens of Beurre 

 Spence, Beurre Creppeaux, and Bergamotte Paysans 

 pears. You will find them all mentioned as suc- 

 ceeding well as standards near London, (in Lou- 

 don's Magazine, vol. ii. p. 253.) 



The Beurre Spence is mentioned by Mr Brad- 

 dish, March 1, 1626, in a letter to Loudon, in which 

 he says, that Van Mens told him that the Beurri 

 Spence was " inestimable, and had no competitor." 



In that same letter, he mentions the " Roi de 

 Wurtemberg," for naming which. Van Mons re- 

 ceived I'rom" the king of Wurtemberg a snuft' box, 

 and it is ratlier singular, that Mr Braddish, who had 

 often seen the " Capiaumont" several years before 

 in England, should not have mentioned, that it was 

 the same pear with the Roi de Wurtemberg. Mr 

 Knio-ht had sent me the Capiaumont three years be 



But no doubt, our experienced poinologists liave 

 good reasons for chargiag Mr Knight with " mis- 

 calling" that pear. Tliey have no doubt seen and 

 tasted the true Capiaumont, and know, that it dif- 

 fers from ours. Nothing short of this, could justify 

 such a change of names, and creating such con- 

 fusion in our nomenclature, when there are now, at 

 least 10,000 Capiaumonts, between Bangor and 

 Cincinnati to both of which cities, scions went from 

 me nearly fiff^cn years since. 



I am, Sir, respectfully yours, 



JOHN LOWELL. 



J^ota Bene. — My estate suffers severely in dry 

 seasons, and my pears have partaken of the evils 

 of this uncommon season. 



It is possible that Mr Van Mons may have chang- 

 ed the name of Capiaumont in honor of his majesty 

 of Wurtemberg, and in the reasonable prospect of a 

 gold snuff box — but that is no reason for our doing 

 it 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS. 



Saturday, Sept. 15, 1838. 



Dahlias. — By J. C. Howard, Esq., Brookline, 

 viz.. Lady Furdwich, Prince George, Beauty of 

 Cambridge, Alba Perfection, Brown's Ophelia, 

 Brown's Desdemona, Dennis's Beauty, Cedo Nulli, 

 Picta Pormosissima, Royal William, Queen of 

 Wirtemberg, and Duglass's Augusta. 



By Jlr W. E. Carter, from the Botanic Garden, 

 Cambridge, Dennis's Perfection, Daniel O'Con- 

 nell, Duke of Bedford, Metropolitan Calypso, Beau- 

 ty of Caraberwell, and several others. 



By Mr S. Sweetser, of Cambridgeport, Quilled 

 Perfection. 



By S. Walker, Napoleon, Lady Ann, King of 

 Dahiiiis, Mrs Broadwood, Duglass's Glorj', Desde- 

 mona, and Urania. 



From Samuel Phipps, Esq., of Dorchester, a fine 

 specimen of Helianthus annuus plenus. 



Bouquets. — From Messrs Winship, Hovey, How- 

 ard, John Hovey and others. 



For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Chairman. 



Smithfidd, Sept. 12tt, 1838. 

 To the Editor of the New England Farmer. 

 Gentlemen. — I saw a statement in the Farmer 

 of August 29th, of early corn coming to maturity, 

 sufiicient for grinding, in ninety days from plant- 

 ino-. I planted some sweet corn on the 19th of 

 June, and on the 2Sth of August, seventy days, it 

 was fully srown, suitable for cooking. Also some 

 beans planted the 5th of July, which on tlie 8th of 

 August, thirtyfour days, were in full blow. Last 

 spring I planted thirtytwo small potatoes in four 

 rows, about one foot distance, the first row con- 

 taining nothing but the natural soil, which was 

 rather light, in the second was strewed a small 

 quantity of ashes, the third, the same of lime, and 

 the fourth, of plaster ; when harvested, the weight 

 of the first row was four pounds four ounces, the 

 second, four pounds ten ounces, the third, four 

 pounds, and the fourth, four pounds eight ounces. 

 I have been an observer for 70 years, and have no 

 recollection of the southern or Virginia corn com- 

 ing to maturity here, until this season, a number of 

 /brclhis letter of Braddish, and though he corres- I stdks in my potatoe fields, on which the corn was 

 ponded with me ten years after, he never corrected fully grown and glazed in the month of August, 

 his alleged misnomer of the Capiaumont, though There must be some cause tor this, perhaps the 

 he did those of every other pear. I severe drought. If any of your valuable corres- 



