672 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[November 



The manufacturers recommend to apply 

 it to Indian corn, for example, either broad- 

 cast at the rate of 20 to 40 bushels per acre 

 or 3 bushels in the hill. It is doubtless 

 generally the best plan to manure the plant 

 rather than the soil, i. e., if a crop grows in 

 hills or drills, to manure in the hill or drill; 

 if the crop is sown broadcast, manure in the 

 same manner. If I understand rightly, a 

 much larger application in the hill than 

 three bushels per acre, is likely to prove 

 detrimental. 



It is to be hoped that this successful at- 

 tempt to manufacture a substitute for Peru- 

 vian guano in our own State, will meet with 

 such encouragement as to make fish manure 

 a staple fertilizer. With the stimulus of 

 abundant patronage, this kind of manure 

 can be prepared of better quality and fur- 

 nished at a less price; while if judiciously 

 used, it cannot fail to improve our lands, 

 permanently, at the same time that it yields 

 better yearly crops. 



THE GREEN SAND MARL OF NEW JERSEY" 



In the Spring of 1858 I was informed 

 that the " New Jersey Fertilizer Company" 

 intended shipping to this State some cargoes 

 of this material, and although I am not 

 aware that their intention has been carried 

 out as yet, there is apparently no reason 

 why the Green Sand Marl may not become 

 an article of commerc betweeu Connecticut 

 and New Jersey, and I therefore communi- 

 cate to the public such account of its nature 

 and use as I have been able to collect. 



The Green Sand Marl is a peculiar geolo- 

 gical deposit, met with in various parts of 

 this and other countries, but most largely 

 developed in the State of New Jersey, 

 where it occupies or underlies an area of 900 

 square miles. This tract extends from Sandy 

 Hook south westwardly to Salem, on the 

 Delaware River, a distance of ninety miles, 

 and is six to fourteen miles in breadth. It is 

 only in a few localities, however, that it is 

 found on the surface of the earth ; it being 

 overlaid with soil throughout the greater share 

 of this vast district. It has long been known 

 that this marl, as it is called, is exceedingly 

 useful as a fertilizer when applied upon the 

 contiguous lands. The discovery is said to 

 have been made by accident, and the effects 

 were so striking, that in those parts of New 

 Jersey, where it is easily accessible, it is now 

 one of the chief reliances of the farmer. 



The deposit of green sand marl has a 



variable thickness, and is by no means uni- 

 form in appearance. It often has a fine 

 green color. The color is due to the green 

 sand which is its characteristic ingredient. 

 Often, and indeed generally, the color of the 

 marl is greenish-gray or brown, from an ad- 

 mixture of clay and other substances. The 

 green sand itself occurs in the form of 

 grains like gunpowder. These grains are 

 brown externally, if they have been exposed 

 to the air, owing to the higher oxydation (or 

 rusting,) of the protoxyd of iron contained 

 in them; but if washed or* broken, their 

 proper green color is always manifested 

 This color enables us to distinguish the 

 green sand from all other sands by the eye 

 alone. 



The green sand has a nearly uniform com- 

 position, and hence is considered a distinct 

 mineral, and for the sake of distinction is 

 called Glauconite (which means "sea-green 

 stone/') by the mineralogists. 



In virtue of its composition and easy de- 

 composable ty, green sand is an excellent 

 fertilizer. 



Its average composition in 100 parts is: 

 Silica, - - - - - 49.5 



Alumina, 7.2 



Protoxyd of Iron, - - - -. 22.8 



Potash, 11.5 



Water, - - ¥ , .< \ .'7.9. ' 



Lime, - - - - - .5 



Magnesia, ..... trace. 



On account of iis finely divided state, 

 when treely exposed to the air and water of 

 the soil it gradually decomposes, and its 

 potash, silica and protoxyd of iron become 

 soluble, or at any rate available to vegeta- 

 tion. The protoxyd of iron which is useful 

 in small quantity, but detrimental it largely 

 present in the % soil, is prevented from ac- 

 cumulating to excess by the fact that it 

 rapidly absorbs oxygen from the air, and 

 passes into peroxyd (iron rust.) The peroxyd 

 of iron and alumina together with the silica, 

 are important means of increasing the power 

 of the soil to absorb and retain manures. 



Many sandy and light soils are deficient 

 in potash, and hence the green sand is use- 

 ful when applied to them. It has indeed 

 been supposed that . this fertilizer owes its 

 efficiency chiefly to its large content of 

 potash. The other ingredients that we have 

 mentioned are, however, useful to a greater 

 or less degree. 



Not only the green sand itself, but like- 

 wise the other matters which, with it, make 

 up the marl ; must be taken account of in 



