THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
99 
is ot unknown depth. Over one hundred teet 
ol it is exposed at Shell Bluff; it has been pen- 
eirated more than three hundred teet in Charles- 
ton. 
In hauling out marl, the most economical 
method is to use carts with two mules or hors- 
es. In a cart properly made, they will haul 18 
bushels at a load as easily as one mule will 
hauls. The carts should be made with three 
shalts, so as to divide the weight of the load 
equally between the mules, and the tread of the 
wheels should be 4 inches — axle trees of iron. 
In putting on 100 bushels to the acre, the land 
should be divided by furrows into squares 28 
yards each way. This will give 6 to the acre. 
A load of 18 bushels to each squaie will rather 
exceed 100 bushels per acre, but some will al- 
ways be lost. The full effect of marl cannot 
be lell until it is thoroughly mixed with the 
soil. Hence the first year, little is to be expect- 
ed from it, and it seldom reaches its maximum 
until the fourth crop — not always then. Its ef- 
fects mav be hastened, and what is also impor- 
tant, rendered equal, by spreading it with regu- 
larity over the land. It is best, therefore, to 
sow it broadcast with the hand. Each laborer 
should take his square and spread the pile, using 
a tray or board to assist him. A hand will 
spread nine piles of 18 bushels each, in a day. 
The distance to which marl may be carted 
depends upon circumstances — one of which is 
the quality of the marl—another, that of the 
land— others, the facilities for digging, state of 
the roads, &c. Along the coast of Scotland it 
is transported by sea from 80 to 100 miles. 1 
have been very recently informed, that at a sin- 
gle marl bank on James river, in Virginia, 10 
rigged lighters are now engaged in delivering 
marl to a distance of from 8 to 20 miles up and 
down the river, receiving 3 cents per bushel for 
i', though it is much inferior to ours in quality. 
The marl 1 use averages about 60 per cent, of 
carbonate of lime. I cut the whole of it down 
at Shell Bluff, and boat it 12 miles up the Sa- 
vannah river, re-land and cart it. I have marl- 
ed about 700 acres within a mile of my landing 
here— but 1 have hauled some marl 4 miles, and 
have spread it on about 500 acres, the nearest 
part of which is over three miles Irora the riv- 
er. This is of course very expensive;' but I 
think it profitable, notwithstanding. II I could 
lay down any rule to regulate the cost ot marl- 
ing, it would be this: That where land is defi- 
cient in lime, it would be a safe operation to 
expend an amount equal to the present value of 
it, if so much should be necessary to marl it 
sufficienily. This rule I suggest upon the prin- 
ciple, that it would be profitable to pay twice 
for land, if you could thereby double its pro- 
duction without materially increasing the cost 
of cultivation. 
You will naturally inquire, whether anyone 
might reasonably calculate on doubling the pro- 
duction of hfs land by marling. 1 believe he 
may, if the marl is judiciously applied and the 
proper .system of after cultivation adopted. I 
have seen but few statements of the actual re- 
sults of marling in Europe. It is said in gene- 
ral terms to produce a great increase, though 
occasionally it is mentioned that the crops were 
doubled. So perfectly established is the use of 
lime and marl there, that every one who can 
procure them, uses them as a matter of course. 
It is not considered an experiment, and tables of 
results are not therefore given —at least, I have 
seen none. A few years ago Mr. Ruffin ad- 
dressed interrogatories touching the effect ot 
marl as exhibited in the crops, to a number of 
the most respectable farmers ol Virginia, who 
had used it, and received answers from twenty- 
two, many of whom had marled extensively and 
for a number of years past. These answers 
were published in the Parmer’s Register and 
in Mr. Ruffin’s Report of his Agricultural Sur- 
vey of South Carolina. Their marl was of 
various qualities, applied in various amounts 
per acre, and on different kinds of land, which 
had been subjected generally to very severe 
cropping before. No one of these estimated the 
increase ol his crops from marling less than 
double, and some ol them rated it as hign as 
400 per cent. I have no doubt that under favor- 
able circumstances and good management, the 
last mentioned increase, enormous as it is, may 
be often realized. The prospect, however, of 
doubling the crop with reasonable certainty, is 
promise enough, one would think, to set every 
one to marling who can doit within the cost I 
have mentioned. I have not myself, yet dou- 
bled my own crop by the use of marl, nor might 
the practical results of it, which I ought to 
state, be so striking to a careless observer as he 
_might expect, after all I have said on the sub- 
ject. They satisfy me, however, and I feel per- 
fectly certain that in a short time, the crops on 
all the land I plant, will be at least doubled, 
from the effects of marl alone, and much more 
than doubled, in consequence of other addition- 
al applications I am making. I commenced 
marling in November, 1841. I marled only 175 
acres for the crop ot 1842, the results of which 
I reported to our State Agricultural Society, as 
I did those of 1843, on the same land. They 
were published, and some of you may have 
seen them — I will therefore only repeat the ta- 
bular statement of those years, and add to it 
that of the past year. In 1844 these lands rest- 
ed. The experiment marked No. 1 was made 
on mulatto land lying on the river bluff, which 
in appearance, and perhaps in most other re- 
spects, is much the same as the best upland cot- 
ton soils in your county which have been as 
long in cultivation. Experiment No. 2, was on 
light, sandy soil— the sand is very fine, but al- 
together, the soil is as inferior as any probably 
that you plant in cotton. I could scarcely have 
selected lands less calculated tor give the marl a 
fair chance, both havin? been cleared more 
than a century ago — badly scourged, and of 
course greatly exhausted of vegetable matter. 
EXPERIMENT NO, 1,— Mulatto Land. 
Less 
More 
Seed 
than 
t.han 
Per 
1342. 
cotton. 
unmarl- 
unmarl- 
Cl. 
Acre not marled...,. 
Po. marled 100 bush.. 
I, 111 lbs 
846 “ 
ed acre. 
ed acre. 
265 lbs 
30.' 
Pf>. do 200 “ 
1,003 “ 
103 “ 
10.7 
Do. do 300 “ , 
1,318 '• 
207 Ibs 
17.7 
1843, 
Acre not marled 
403 lbs 
Do. marled 100 bush. . 
654 “ 
161 lbs 
32.6 
Do. do 200 “ , 
759 “ 
266 
53.9 
Do. do .300 “ . 
841 » 
348 “ 
70. 
1844. 
RESTED. 
1845. 
Acre not marled..,.. 
324 Ibs 
Do. marled 100 bush. . 
43 1 “ 
157 lbs 
43. 4 
Do. do 200 “ 
534 “ 
S60 •* 
80.2 
Da. do 300 “ . 
642 “ 
318 “ 
98. 
EXPERIMENT NO. 2— ?andy Land. 
Less 
More 
Corn* 
than 
than 
Per 
1842 
un marl* 
unmarl- 
cent. 
, 
ed acre. 
ed acre. 
Acre not marled.... 
17 bus 

— 

Do. marled 100 bush. 
21 “ 
4 bus 
23.5 
Do. do 200 “ 
21 “ 
4 “ 
23.5 
Do. do 300 “ 
13A^‘ 
IX a 
8,3 
1813. 
.S’d cot 
Acre not marled.... 
351 lbs 
Do. marled 100 bush. 
451 “ 
90 Ibs 
24.9 
Do. do 200 
38t “ 
23 “ 
6.3 
Do. do 300 “ 
173 “ 
183 
103.6 
1844. 
RE.-^TED. 
* 1845. 
Acre not marled.... 
230 “ 
Do. marled 100 bush. 
317 “ 
88 » 
37.7 
Do. do 200 *• 
•311 “ 
71 “ 
30.8 
D.s. do 300 “ 
159 “ 
71 
44.6 
The first thing that will strike you on looking 
at this table, will be, that the crops have regu- 
larly and excessively diminished, from the time 
the land was marled. It might be concluded 
that I had ruined my land by marling. Such I 
will candidly own would have been my own 
conclusion, if fortunately I had not kept these 
unmarled acres to test the success of my opera- 
tions. Disastrous as have been the three last 
seasons in this section of country, I would not 
have believed it possible that there could have 
been such a falling off’ from seasons alone, and 
I should have abandoned marl, in spite of the 
experience of the rest of the world, as injurious 
at least to my soil. Buigreac as has been the de- 
crease of production on all the acres, it has 
been far greatest on the unmarled ones. That 
of the oihers, has comparatively steadily in- 
creased, except the 200 and 300 bushel acres in 
No. "2, both too heavily marled, but both reco- 
vering again under the rest of i84l. In No. 1, 
the acre with 100 bushels has increased from 30 
per cent, below, to 48.4 per cent, above the un- 
marled one, making an actual comparative in- 
crease of 78.4 pe? cent. The acre with 200 
bushels, has in the same w'ay increased 90 9 
per cent. Both these acres are decidedly inferior 
to the other two in No. 1, and have, I doubt not, 
produced this year double what they would 
have done without mari. The other two acres 
in No. 1, are a pretty fair test tf'^he influence 
ol marl, being as nearly equal in quality as 
could have been selected. The sandy land in 
time and with proper management, will, I am 
certain, exhibit results fully as favorable as the 
mulatto land. It was too far exhausted when 
marled. 1 did not reserve test acres on any 
other fields, but I feel sure that they have deri- 
ved equal advantage from the marl, in proof of 
which I could state many facts to one present 
on the spot, which it would be tedious to men- 
tion and explain fully in this letter. I will only 
state one: The uninarled acre in No, 1 is one of 
the best acres I plant. In 1842, it yielded 1,111 
ibs. The average of my whole crop that year 
was 666 lbs. per acre. The last year, the same 
acre, after a rest, produced 324 lbs. The ave- 
rage of my crop was 391 lbs. per acre. Thus, 
the yield of the uamarled acre, was in one in- 
stance 66.8 percent, above, and in the other, 20.6 
percent, below the general average — making a 
difference of 87.4 per cent, in favor of the marl- 
ed lands. Let me add that in 1842 the uninari- 
ed acre in No. 2 produced 8.8 per cent, less than 
the average of the crop. In 1843 it fell to 37. G 
per cent., and in 1845 to 70 per cent, below the 
general average. It these facts may be assum- 
ed as data, on which to ba.se a calculation, had 
the last year been as favorable in all respects 
as 1842, the average of my cotton crop must 
have ’oeen over 1200 lbs. ot seed cotton per acre, 
and ot my corn crop over 28 bushels per acre. 
This, however, is only a paper calculation, and 
1842 was a fine crop year. Time will revs.al 
the truth. 
I cannot give you a better evidence of the 
firmness of my faith in the virtue of marl, than 
to state, that notwithstanding the discourage- 
ments of the last three extraordinary seasons, ! 
have at great expense, brought up from Shell 
Bluff, within four years, over 300,000 bushels, 
carted it out, and spread it over about 2,300 
acres ot land; and am at this moment as ac- 
tively engaged at it as ever. Nor do I look 
fo.-ward to a period when I expect to cease 
using it to a considerable extent every year, ei- 
ther on fresh lands, or in increasing the dose on 
those already marled. It would be leading you 
into error, however, to leave you to suppose that 
I rely solely on the marl to improve my lands. 
Rest, in connection with it, is indispensable, 
and manure becomes far more beneficial. 1 
have, accordinely, by opening more land, and 
reducing my planting, enabled myselt to rest, 
annually one-third of my fields. And I have 
already hauled out and mixed together, for the 
coming crop, 96,000 bushels of muck, and 48,- 
000 bushels of manure from stables and stable 
yards, hog and ox pens, &c., having yet about 
20,000 bushels more to carry out before plant- 
ing. 1 shall not only endeavor to increase this 
amount ol manure every year hereafter, but al- 
so, by clearing and reducing the land in culti- 
vation, to rest, as nearly as may be requisite, 
each field, every other year. Indeed, the ma- 
nagement of land, after it is marled, is of the 
utmost consequence to the efficiency and profit 
of marl. Though lime is itself a portion of 
the food of plants, and therefore a manure, this 
is perhaps the very least ol its virtues. Its in- 
direct operations are far more important. It is 
the srand agent that prepares for the crop near- 
ly ail the food which the earth furnishes. It is 
