i860.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



certain consequences of the impoverish- 

 ment of their soil. 



If it were possible that, for all lower 

 South Carolina, the system of improvement 

 could be directed by one mind and will, 

 as much as the operations of any one great 

 individual estate, the most magnificent re- 

 sults could be obtained with great and cer- 

 tain profit, and in a few years. Without 

 any additional labour or capital, more than 

 now possessed, for beginning the improve- 

 mentr— and with only the subsequen*^ in- 

 crease of means which would be supplied 

 by the clear profits of the improvements as 

 they became productive — most of the lands 

 accessible to marl or lime could be covered 

 by these manures in ten years. In twenty 

 years from this day, all such lands could be 

 thus improved, and, by that time, might 

 yield double or tripled general products, 

 and would exhibit a proportionally greater 

 increase of value as capital. The new clear 

 profits of this one great improvement would 

 be enough in amount to efiect all the prac- 

 ticable drainage of inland and river swamps 

 in twenty years more. Or, in that addi- 

 tional time, the increased revenue of the 

 State treasury, from these new sources only, 

 would suffice to construct all the great 

 works of drainage, which would be beyond 

 the means of individual proprietors. 



In all opinions expressed as to the value 

 and effects of the agricultural improvements 

 proposed for South Carolina, my data are 

 the experienced and unquestionable results 

 of like labours in Virginia. The legitimate 

 deductions, and the only one for un tired 

 operations is that like causes will produce 

 like effects in both these different localities 

 I cannot conceive any reason, founded on 

 existing differences of climate, soil or sub- 

 jects of culture, that can make calcareous 

 manures less efficient, or less profitable, with 

 you than with us. Nevertheless, I have 

 learned from mere rumour, that in the small 

 extension of their use, by new operators, 

 which occurred here, there was no general 

 and important benefit obtained. And such, I 

 m.ust infer, was the conclusion reached by 

 nearly all the makers and observers of these 

 trials, from the irresistible, though negative 

 evidence (which only is before me,) that 

 nothing considerable of such improvements, 

 or of public notoriety, has been effected in 

 latter years. In the absence of all partic- 

 ular information of the actual trials, their 

 results and the accompanying circumstances; 



of course I cannot pretend or be expected 

 to explain the causes of disappointment, 

 which must be the general result, as it 

 seems that marling has languished, if not 

 ceased, in general, after a few faint efforts.* 

 But .1 infer that the main and usual cause 

 of supposed failure, or of inconsiderable 

 benefit, has been the same prevailing bad 

 practice, before denounced, of incessant, or, 

 at least, much too frequent tillage, which - 

 does not permit the fields to receive and 

 retain organic matter from their own 

 growths especially. This cause had operated 

 on nearly all the trials of marl made previ- 

 ous to my service in South Carolina. Of 

 all such cases of alleged failure, that I was 

 enabled to see and investigate the circum- 

 stances, the causes were such as I now sup- 

 pose of the still later failures. These cases 

 of failure and of disappointment, and the 

 known causes, were brought fully to view 

 in my Report of the Agricultural Survey ; 

 and from the more extended remarks, I will 

 quote a short passage, to show my then 

 opinion of the facts and the causes of pre- 

 vious failures, and my earnest warning 

 against the general course pursued. After 

 reciting the general facts of failure of pre- 

 vious trials of marling, I proceeded in 

 these words : " Can any opponent of marl- 

 ing desire more full admissions than these ? 

 And yet they all serve but to illustrate 

 what I have continually striven to impress, 

 that iDitJiout vegetahh matter to combine 

 with, calcareous manures will he of little 

 value. But, on the other hand, I have 

 heard of no trial of marl on land in proper 

 condition, that is, recently and sufficiently 

 rested, and thereby provided with vegetable 

 matter, in which the effect has not been 

 very great on the first crop. And three or 

 four of such results only, would be enough 

 to explain the causes, (of failure in all * 

 other cases,) and to prevent all inferences 

 unfavourable to marling, if from a hundred 

 failures of early efforts under reverse cir- 

 cumstances." Then followed particular 

 statements of two different experiments, 

 carefully made that year, (and the circum- 

 stances noted at my request,) of marling 



* There is, however, one important case 

 known to me, of at least partial exception to 

 the general rule of failure in marling in South 

 Carolina, in the very extensive an(l also pro- 

 fitable labours and improvements of Gov. 

 Hammond, on his estate bordering on the Sa- 

 vannah. 



