118 



is a email crop, it is one of the most profitable 

 raised. 



We conclude, therefore, that while it is an 

 entire mistake to suppose that the United 

 States can supply the world with wheat, when 

 the world has driven its agricultural laborers 



into the hot beds of cities: 



States has a staple grain 

 which can supply the world, and 

 new crops with which America 

 itself. — Railroad Record. 



yet, the United 

 in Indian corn, 

 there are 

 can enrich 



Cfmmu nicotians io the Virginia* Slate Agricultural 

 ' ' - Society. 



ESSAY ON BLUE CLAY. 

 Bit Robcht Haruiroit, M-D., op Piiince Gsorge. 

 '[A Premium of r i\:n Dollars.} 

 I design in this communication Jo present to 

 the consideration of the State Agricultural So 

 dety of Virginia, my experience in the use of 

 blue clay and the effects resulting from its use. 



My farm Is located in the county ol Prince 

 George, three miles south oS' James River; the 

 land is generally light, with a clay subsoil, but 

 portions of it have no clay substratum. On 

 portions of this farm marl is found varying in 

 strength from 23 to 75 per cent. A I] the nrabh 

 land lias been marled in ? lie proportion of 300. 

 or more, bushels to (lie acre. And the most of 

 this marling was executed at least fifteen years 

 ago. 



This marl is ahom six feet thick, mostly dry, 

 of a buff color, containing clam shells, oyster 

 and other shells, some perfect, others decom- 

 posed partially; next to this marl is found 

 a blue marl, inferior in quality, of a blue color, 

 abounding in sand. This marl contains very 

 large bone, some ol' the vertebral bones meas- 

 uring eight or ten inches in diameter. This 

 blue marl is about four feet thick. Immediate- 

 ly subjacent is found this blue cla}^ of unascer- 

 tained depth, but which has been excavated to 

 the depth of twelve or fourteen feet. This clay 

 in physical appearance presents a homogeneous 

 mass, but by careful examination it is found to 

 contain innumerable shining particles. This 

 clay is blue in its appearance, feels and cuts 

 like soap, tenacious but somewhat friable. By 

 atmospheric exposure either at the pit or after 

 having been applied to land it soon breaks 

 up into small masses sufficiently fine to be 

 spread with a spade or hoe, or even to be scat- 

 tered with the hand, as 1 have sometimes used it 

 as a top dressing to clover. Rain and freezing 

 also sufficiently disintegrates it for agricultural 

 purposes. I consider it one of our best fertil- 

 izers, not inferior to lime or marl, abounding in 

 carbonate of lime. Its use was commenced by 

 me njore than twelve years atro. It was analyz- 

 ed by Professor Hare, of the University of Penn- 

 sylvania, but I have misplaced the report. He 

 "was of opinion that it possessed no fertilizing 

 properly whatever. Professor Rogers, of the 

 University of Virginia, also subjected it to anal- 



^ almost entirely. 



ysis — " Composed, (he says) almost entirely of 

 a silieious clay, having a few shining particles 

 of mica. 



Silica, 



Alumina, $ 



Oxide of Iron, about 7 per cent, 



Carbonate of Lime, a trace. 



Sulnhuret of Lime, a trace. 



Carbonaceous Matter, a trace. 

 It abounds in Alumina, Bisuiphuret of Iron> 

 dnlphuret of Lime, Acid, Ammcriln, and smite 

 other ingredients according to another analysis, 

 but many grains ol allowance should be -made 

 for the present infancy of agricultural chemistry. 



The first experiment I made with this 

 clay was upon a remarkably light piece of land 

 Shat 1 was endeavoring to improve by the 

 application of our common red clay ; at the 

 same lime I hauhd out about twenty bushels of 

 this earth. It was here spread, sown in oats and 

 clover seed ; the clover vegetated upon all, 

 but' died out during the summer upon the land 

 upon which the red clay had been applied, 

 bul continued to grow finely and luxuriantly 

 wh< re the blue clay had been applied ; and 

 daring this year some of the stalks of clover 

 grew to he knee high, and was the best on the 

 farm. After this, I have continued to use it 

 from year to yean, until ! have nearly applied 

 it to every part of the iV'rin,and sense portions 

 twice, with very satisfactory results. Upon 

 some portions of the light land I have known 

 she blades of corn to turn yellow, but whether 

 it was owing to a superabundant application of 

 this earth or to other causes, I have not yet 

 satisfied myself, but uniformly it makes the land 

 produce more corn and the blades are of a 

 deeper green. On whe-.it, the increased pro- 

 duct, particularly on my light fields, has 

 been very apparent, both in the growth of the 

 straw and the number of bushels. This earth 

 is particularly adapted to the growth of peas. I 

 think 1 may safely say the growth of the vines 

 have been nearly doubled since the commence- 

 ment of its use. Nov/ all my corn land is sowed 

 down in peas, unless I am deficient in seed. 

 This gives me an additional product of wheat, 

 that i estimate at four to five bushels to 

 the acre. This mode of getting a green fallow 

 with peas 1 consider to be the more economical 

 with me, and I get a more luxuriant growth. 

 I avoid the trouble and expense of fallow- 

 ing land exclusively for peas, and the trouble 

 ol" getting in the peas is much less with the 

 corn, for it is not necessary to give any addi- 

 tional ploughing, and I am not yet satisfied 

 i hat the pea crop prod ores any detriment to 

 she corn crop. But I have now an experiment 

 in progress to ascertain the fact. 



I have taken some pains to sow my land 

 in eastern shore bean, and here again the value 

 of this manure is very apparent, the beneficial 

 effects being equal, if not greater, than when 

 applied to peas ; but this latter plant belongs 

 to the pea tribe. 



My usual mode of using it is by applying 

 about a hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. 



