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several years. Summer is the proper time for applying 

 marl, because, being- in that season dry, it is compara- 

 tively light, and easily reduced to powder. After an 

 even spreading it shotdd lie on the surface during a win- 

 ter, except when apphed to wheat fallows, in which case 

 it should be ploughed in hghtly, ami well harrowed ; 

 for, hke lime, its power depends on its intimate mix- 

 ture with the soil. The quantity of marl to be laid 

 on an acre, depends on its quality aiul the nature of 

 the soil to which it is to be applied. Of white or 

 shell marl, the number of loads (averaging 700cAvt. 

 each) is about 60, while of the clay or blue marl, 600 

 loads are required to the acre ; the latter kind on sandy 

 and other hght soils is obviously the Ijest ; on such 

 lands there is little danger of giving too great a dose 

 of clay marl ; but where there is a very stiiT soil, or 

 a very shallow one, over marling has often proved of 

 worse consequences than under marhng. I need liardly 

 observe that clay marling caunot be thought of, unkss 

 the carriage of it be short, otherwise the exper.se 

 would be enormous. In balancing between Hming 

 and marling the relative cost must always be calcu- 

 lated, and lime or marl used according to the circum- 

 stances of expense. 



By the way, laarl pits disfigure a large portion of 

 tlie farms of this county ; it would be well worth the 

 attention of your landlords, as well as of yourselves, 

 to have those pits levelled as fast as they become 

 worked out, for the purpose of husbandry or of plant- 

 ing. If sallow trees were planted in the hollows, 

 the appearance of the country would be favourably 

 altered, and you would not be justly reproached with 

 unnecessary waste of land ; besides, these cliasms 

 are very dangerous to cattle in their neigh) >ourhood, 

 and as to fox hunters, unacquainted with their situ- 

 ations, I really tremble for them when I think of 

 the great danger to which they are exposed. Ima- 

 gine for a moment a short-sighted man, suppose one 

 of your own landlords, who happened to leave his 



