THE CULTIVATOR. 
62 
have three beautiful Devon cows and a bull, all full bred, and a fine 
calf; also a Holderness heifer and calf, good ones too; and a splen¬ 
did bull of the “ improved short horns.” When I first obtained him 
last fall, our own folks and others who saw him did not see much to 
admire in the animal, although “ he came all the way from Boston,” 
and generally preferred the Devon, who I had of our friend Bement 
in Albany. But their prejudices to the Durham short horns are now 
removed, for he has wonderfully improved in his appearance, and is 
considered the finest animal they ever saw. I have had my doubts, 
and so have expressed them, whether for our country the Durhams 
were superior for general use to the Devons ; but I must say that fur¬ 
ther observation continually convinces me that for all the purposes 
of the farmer, taken together, the Durhams bear the palm. Yet the 
Devons are a beautiful, hardy and good race of cattle, of the best 
possible colour, and much superior to the common stock of the coun¬ 
try. I intend, as soon as practicable, to obtain a full bred cow or two 
of the “ short horns,” and get as rapidly into the stock as possible. 
With a number of the native cows now on hand we shall soon have 
a tolerable stock of half bloods. 
When in Albany last fall, I bought a fine pair of spotted China 
hogs of Mr. Bement. The female soon after brought me a beauti¬ 
ful litter of pigs, crossed with a long bodied white English breed, 
which Dr. Hosack sent Mr. B. from his farm at Hyde-Park. I think 
it the finest cross I ever saw. I gave away three of the male pigs 
to my friends in distant parts of the country; three females I keep, 
and two barrows I am fatting in a pen to see what they will amount 
to. They are the most perfect animals of the hog kind I ever saw. 
They are continually fat and live on absolutely almost nothing. They 
have lived all the spring in a wild pasture, and have not been up 
to feed for a fortnight past, while a few of the real woods breed, 
which I bought of the former occupant of the farm, eal all the slops 
and butter-milk of the house, and actually appear to grow poorer 
with their keeping. It is surprising that people will pay so little 
attention to the breed of their hogs and cattle, when such different 
results are constantly before them. 
In clearing up the lands I often have little clumps, and occasion¬ 
ally single trees left, where they grow thrifty and of a good kind, 
as shag-bark hickory, black-walnut, white-oak, sugar-maple, &.c.— 
They soon grow up to beautiful shades, adding value to the soil and 
beauty to the landscape. It would indeed give me much pleasure 
to have you occasionally at my elbow to aid me with your valuable 
advice in all these matters. A little attention to things of general 
utility in the beginning, such as the proper selection of shade and 
timber trees, in proper locations on the farm often saves great ex¬ 
pense and waste of time in after years. 
But I must close, having written much more than I expected when 
I sat|down. Rest assured, my dear sir, you have my best wishes in 
the useful employment you have so liberally undertaken, of dissemi¬ 
nating and conducting this journal; and if my time and opportuni¬ 
ty will hereafter permit me to drop you any thing acceptable for 
your paper, 1 shall take a pleasure in doing it. 
Very truly, and respectfully yours, 
J. Buel, Esq. L. F. ALLEN. 
Burlington, June 17th, 1834. 
Sir,— Among the spurs of the Green Mountains, and elsewhere 
in Vermont, there exist extensive deposites of land or fresh water 
shells. They occur in beds of several feet thickness, generally two 
or three feet below the surface, and often partially covered by small 
ponds. A great proportion of the mass is reduced to an impalpa¬ 
ble powder; and the few shells, whose forms are discernable, are very 
small, and completely friable. They are generally free from any ad¬ 
mixture of earth, or other foreign substance, and of a very white 
colour. They have been sometimes burned for lime, but have not, 
to my knowledge, been used for agricultural purposes. 
These deposites constitute, I suppose, what agriculturists call shell 
marl, and the object of this communication is, to ask you to give 
your Vermont subscribers, through the Cultivator, some information, 
respecting, 
1. The value of this substance as a manure- 
2. The mode and time of its application. 
3. The sort of soil to which it is best adapted. 
4. The quantity to the acre. 
5. Whether it should be used by itself, or with stable manure. 
6. And whether its valuable properties would be increased by 
burning it to lime, or whether on the contrary, any increase of its 
activity by burning, would not be counterbalanced by the destruction 
of such animal matter as may exist in the mass. S. X. 
J. Buel, Esq. Editor of the Cultivator. 
REMARKS. 
We have had no practical experience in the use of shell marl, 
but have employed argillaceous or clay marl in husbandry, with 
manifest advantage. Both kinds, we believe, are similar in their ef¬ 
fects : both are valuable on account of the calcareous matter, or 
carbonate of lime, which they contain; and they are deemed rich 
in proportion as this is found to abound. Marls benefit chiefly by 
their mechanical operation in the soil, rendering clays more porous, 
and sands more compact and retentive of moisture. They are ana- 
lagous in their operation to chalk or powdered limestone. They do 
not, like quick-lime, accelerate the decomposition of vegetable or 
animal matter; yet they tend to correct sour soils, abounding in 
sorrel, and to bring in white clover in its stead. From these consi¬ 
derations it will be perceived, that shell marl is best adapted to im¬ 
prove stiff soils, and clay marl to improve sand soils; and that in 
both cases, these benefits will be permanent. We suspect our cor¬ 
respondent is mistaken in his supposition, that these shells are free 
from any admixture of earths, (other than calcareous) a fact which 
can best be determined be analysis. This analysis may be readily 
obtained at Burlington, from whence our correspondent dates; and 
it is also necessary to determine the value of the marl. In the mean 
time we proceed to answer our correspondent’s queries in the order 
which they present: 
1. The value of marl is in proportion to the quantity of carbonate 
of lime which it contains, and the distance to which it has to be 
transported for use. This proportion is sometimes 80 or 90 per cent, 
and should amount to at least 50. If it abounds in animal matter, 
as is suggested, its value is enhanced. 
2. Marl is best applied in summer, because it is then dry, light, 
and most easily reduced to powder ; though it may be advantage¬ 
ously spread during the winter frosts. It should be completely in¬ 
corporated with the soil. Hence ic should be evenly spread, and 
ploughed and harrowed in ; and its benefits are developed in propor¬ 
tion as its admixture with the soil becomes perfect. 
3. Marl benefits most soils—but most those which are either too 
porous or too compact for tillage crops. 
4. From 200 to 800 bushels of marl are applied to the acre ;— 
the common quantity 250 bushels. There should be at least a thin 
coat over the whole surface. 
5. Marl may be used with or without stable manure, as neither 
has any injurious action upon the other. 
6. Marl is not benefitted by calcination or burning. When 
burnt, shells become quick-liine; and if they abound in animal or 
vegetable matters, these are destroyed by fire, without any diminu¬ 
tion of earthy matters. B. 
Mr. Buel, — I have this year commenced farming on a small scale, 
and think of turning my attention principally to grazing and dairying; 
hence I am anxious to see something from practical dairymen, on 
the best mode of keeping cows, making and preserving butter and 
cheese, the quantity of salt to the pound of butter,—and whether 
loaf sugar or sal nitre, or both, may be used to advantage in pre¬ 
serving butter. M. BARKER. 
Borodino, June 17. 
UWe solicit answers to the above questions from some of our 
practical dairymen and graziers. 
J. Buel, —I am glad to see the correspondents of the Cultivator 
alive to the subject of destroying the Canada thistle, as it is high 
time that something is done to arrest their progress, particularly in 
the western districts of our state. And seeing a communication in 
your last number requesting practical knowledge on any subject that 
may interest the farming community, I felt willing to throw in my 
mite, though with diffidence, on this all important subject. We last 
year had a strip extending quite through a field, where we intended 
to sow barley, which we did not sow; but as the thistles appeared, 
turned them under with a plough pretty deep at first, and in the 
course of the summer ploughed the piece seven times, and harrowed 
as many more, which has effectually destroyed them, there being 
now not one to be seen. After the three first ploughings they sprung 
up very soon; after that, they began to appear sickly, and of a yel¬ 
lowish cast, and after the fifth ploughing they appeared no more. 
This year we are managing thirty acres in the same way, and se¬ 
veral of our neighbors, seeing the beneficial effects of the experi- 
