THE CULTIVATOR. 
119 
MANURES. 
<c Gentlemen —-Will you through the medium of your 
valuable paper be so kind as to reply to the following 
queries: 
1. When stable manure is not to be had, what is the 
best substance to mix with swamp muck, so as to make 
it profitable as a manure ? 
2. Will lime without any thing else answer the pur¬ 
pose? 
3. Are ashes better than lime ? or would ashes and 
lime mixed together be better than either of them sepa¬ 
rate ? 
4. Would salt be of any use ? 
Essex Co., N. J. T. C.” 
Experience as well as chemical analysis, seems to have 
determined that for the conversion of peat or swamp 
muck into manure, there is nothing, after stable manure, 
within the farmer’s reach equal to ashes. If the ashes 
are unleached four or five bushels, and if leached about 
double the quantity, are sufficient for a common load, or 
•two-thirds of a cord of muck. If the muck has been ex¬ 
posed to the action of the air, so as to be in a fine, or de¬ 
composed state, these materials may be thoroughly work¬ 
ed together, and used at once for a crop. But if the muck 
is clearly undecomposed, or contains much vegetable 
fibre, the mixture of ashes with it should take place 
some time before using. There can be no doubt of the 
great value of this compost; and it is prepared so easily, 
that it is a matter of surprise it is not more extensively 
used. 
Lime, alone, has been used as part of such a compost, 
and in some instances with success. The case of Mr. 
Benedict, of Pittsfield, Mass., is of this kind. His com¬ 
post heap was made in the fall of swamp muck and lime, 
a bushel of lime to a load of muck, as it came from the 
bed, and well mixed. In the spring, he manured part 
of his corn-field with this compost, a shovel full in a 
hill, and the remainder in the same way with manure 
from the stable. The whole crop was a fine one, the 
compost fully equalling the manure. We, however, 
should have more faith in the ashes than in the lime; 
perhaps because we have tried the first, but not the 
last. 
We do not know that any particutar advantage could be 
gained by mixing ashes and lime together; but the ex¬ 
periment might be easily made where both materials were 
at command. 
We question whether salt would be of essential use 
alone in forming such a compost, but if used in the man¬ 
ner recommended by Dr. Dana, it would doubtless be 
an important auxiliary. He recommends to saturate water 
with a bushel of salt, and with that slack a barrel of lime. 
After the lime has lain ten or twelve days mix it tho¬ 
roughly with three cords of muck or peat. The mass is 
to be turned with the shovel occasionally for five or six 
weeks, when it may be applied to the soil. Mixed with 
lime in this way, chemical changes take place, which 
give a value to both the salt and the lime they could not 
before possess. 
But the man who has a supply of swamp muck, has 
the means of restoring fertility to his soil, even if he has 
no ashes, stable manure, or lime. He has but to draw 
and spread it, or pile it up in heaps where wanted, and 
the action of the atmosphere will do much towards con¬ 
verting it into manure. If he has yards or pens, let a 
large supply of it be kept in those places, to receive 
the urine and wash of his yard, or to let his pigs ope¬ 
rate upon, and he will find his and their labor well be¬ 
stowed. 
Our good friend fC P.” of the Southwestern Far¬ 
mer, need give himself no uneasiness about the subscrip¬ 
tion to the Cultivator. If it is not “ killed” till it has 
“ less than 3000 to 5,000 subscribers,” it is likely to live 
to a good old age. P.’s insinuations and presumptions 
are alike unjust. The sales of the Cultivator have at no 
time been less than 12,000 vols. per year, and he will 
doubtless be glad to learn that it will probably much ex¬ 
ceed that number this year. 
APPLICATION OF MARL. 
f£ I should be much pleased if you or some of your nu¬ 
merous correspondents, would give through the columns 
of the Cultivator, the best system of managing marl; 
whether it should be dug out and spread immediately 
over the surface, or put in the hills or drills; whether it 
should be suffered to lie some time in heaps after it is 
hauled up, or whether it should be mixed with other ma¬ 
nures? I am myself at a loss on these points; also as to 
the quantity that should be spread over an acre. I be¬ 
lieve shell marl abounds throughout this region of coun¬ 
try, but as yet we have scarcely attempted to raise it from 
its bed, though we contemplate soon making a trial of it. 
Eufalla } Alabama, 1844. A. M’D.” 
There are several varieties of marl used for the im¬ 
provement of land; but the principal distinction is the 
one existing between the shell or calcareous marl, and 
that which contains the green sand. The former is the 
proper marl, and owes its value principally to the lime it 
contains, and this varies from twenty to sixty per cent. 
The green sand marl, which is the kind so common in 
New-Jersey, and which has so much increased the value 
and productiveness of the light sandy soils of that State, 
is supposed to owe its value principally to the potash it 
contains; this substance in some specimens reaching 
twelve per cent. The two kinds are sometimes found 
intermixed, both in New-Jersey and in Virginia, and 
doubtless farther south, where the same formation pre¬ 
vails. The highest authority on the subject of marl, is 
Mr. Ruffin; and the volume that records his experiments 
on this and other calcareous manures, is one of the most 
valuable contributions yet made to our agricultural lite¬ 
rature; and should be consulted by all who are intending 
to use this important auxiliary in improving the soil. 
The best method of using marl is to take it from the 
bed, and apply it at once as a topdressing to the soil. It 
should be spread as evenly as possible, made fine, and ef¬ 
fectually incorporated with the soil by the plow or the 
harrow, or both. Marls differ in the quantity of clay or 
sand combined with the calcareous part of the marl; and 
hence the best marl for light soils, the calcareous part 
being equal, will be that which contains the most clay; 
and for clay soils, that which contains the most sand. 
Marl should not be used in the hill or in drills, as are 
animal or vegetable manures; since if used in this way 
it would in most cases be productive of more injury than 
benefit to the crop, the first one at least. There can be 
no doubt that a top dressing of this substance would be 
more effectual, if mixed with a considerable quantity of 
common manure, but this is rarely done, the marling be¬ 
ing first perfomed, and the manure applied in the subse¬ 
quent years. The quantity necessary or proper, will de¬ 
pend on the quality of the marl itself, or the nature of the 
soil to which it is applied. In New Jersey the quantity 
used varies from six to ten tons, of twenty bushels each, 
per acre. It is applied to grass lands, and as a prepara¬ 
tion for crops of all kinds; and in some cases the effect 
is almost marvellous. Mr. Ruffin found from many ex¬ 
periments that calcareous marl containing from 45 to 50 
per cent of lime, succeeded best when about 200 bushels 
per acre was used. Applied at the rate of five or six 
hundred bushels per acre it proved injurious for a year or 
two, or until a dressing of animal manure was given. It 
is probable, therefore, that our correspondent will find it 
safe to use from 150 to 200 bushels per acre, spread over 
the surface and thoroughly incorporated. The presence 
of such immense quantities of marl immediately beneath 
the light sands of so large a part of our country, where 
it is so much needed, is a matter important to the planter, 
and should not be allowed to pass without being impro¬ 
ved for the benefit of his crops. 
Inquiry about Wool. —We would refer our corres¬ 
pondent R. M. to the remarks of Mr. Lawrence and Mr. 
Jarvis, in this number. He will there see that the best 
wool does not come from poor, starved sheep, as some 
have supposed. It seems necessary that sheep should be 
well kept to give strength and elasticity to the wool ; 
though it is not necessary that they should be actually £a% 
