124 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
It exists at the bottom of most lakes, and under bogs and morasses, 
or other pieces of stagnant water which have been drained, and might, 
no doubt, be found in every place where water has originally rested 
though, as it is usually under other layers of earth or peat, its depth 
below the surface is often too great to admit of its being searched for 
with advantage. Every farmer should, therefore, carefully examine 
the sides and bottoms of his ditches and ponds, for, by doing so, he 
may often find appearances of marl in places where it was not suspect¬ 
ed, and large beds of the most valuable sort have been in that manner 
discovered, which might have remained unnoticed for years. 
It is chiefly composed of those myriads of small shell-fish which, 
with other fry and insects, usually procreate wherever there are pools 
of water, and the remains of which have, in the course of past ages, 
been deposited along with sand and decayed vegetables, or other mat¬ 
ter swept from eminences, or by the decomposition of aquatic plants. 
This process of alluvion has, in the lapse of time produced those mass¬ 
es of shell-marl which display the most striking effects when employed 
as manure ; for the shells, when decomposed, are converted into lime 
of such purity, that some moss-marl, examined by Dr. Coventry, was 
found to contain 84 per cent of pure chalk—which is more than is ge¬ 
nerally possessed by the purest lime—and the mould formed of the 
other substances must be very rich.* It may, therefore, be converted 
into quick-lime, by bui-ning, or it may be used in its natural state ; but 
then it is not so minutely divisible, nor so soluble in water, and is of 
course, more tardy in its operation; its effects, however, continue long, 
er, and it is apparent that, as it contains more calcareous matter than 
the common qualities of lime, it may be used in smaller quantities. 
When spread upon grass, or clover, it is found to promote the growth 
of the herbage, for it partakes of the nature of pounded limestone, and 
possessing none of the caustic properties of quick-lime, it may be used 
without hazard as a top-dressing. It also occasions heavy tillage crops; 
and if the land be not over-cropped before it is returned to pasture, the 
turf is found to be closer, more plentiful, and sweeter than before; but 
on cold damp soils, which have been heavily worked, the crops of 
grain have proved later, and the corn lighter than on land which has 
been limed. 
MARL PITS. 
The common mode of searching for this, and every other kind of 
marl, is, by the boring-irons used in seeking coal, and other mineral 
substances. It may, however, be easily effected by any farmer who 
has reason to suspect its existence on his own land, by using a long 
pole furnished with an iron auger fixed at its end; but if this does not 
reach the marl within about twenty feet below the surface, the sinking 
of pits, unless the quality be very superior, will seldom be found to 
answer the purpose. The pit is usually opened by digging a ditch of 
four to six feet broad, by twelve or twenty long, the surface earth be¬ 
ing generally thrown on one side, and of the subsoil, or virgin earth, 
on the other. The marl is then extracted in square pieces with a small 
cutting spade, either to its full depth, or to that to which it can be ta¬ 
ken without danger; for care must be observed in preventing it from 
falling in, by which serious accidents have very frequently happened 
The pit is then either so far filled up as it will allow, with the clay 
rubbish, or other earth of the subsoil, covered by that of the surface ; 
and if it be not of great depth, it may, with a little attention, be easi¬ 
ly brought to a level with the rest of the field: if not, it is in other pla¬ 
ces formed into ponds; but in that case, or if left in open pits, the pre¬ 
caution should be observed, of either fencing them round, or sloping 
their sides, so as to guard against accidents. 
In those places where marling is regularly carried on throughout the 
year, it is generally managed by persons who make it their sole busi¬ 
ness ; but when the farmers’ teams must be employed, it can be only 
done from the latter part of autumn until the commencement of the 
spring sowing, or during the intervals of the other work, though it may 
be carted upon the land at all times which may be found convenient. 
The expense depends upon a great variety of circumstances, but chiefly 
upon the depth from which the marl is dug, and the distance to which 
it is to be carried. The nature of the surface-soil, and the charge of 
removing it—the tenacity of the marl, and the quantity of water with 
which it may be covered—all vary according to the locality; then the 
carriage, particularly of clay-marl, is so heavy, that unless it can be 
found nearly adjoining the farm, it will rarely pay the cost of remo¬ 
val; for the work is so severe that, even in the slack time of winter, 
the cattle will require better food than is usual at that season, and the 
"Farmer’s Mag. vol. iv. p. 156. By other experiments made by Sir G. 
Mackenzie (ib. vol. v. p. 271,) it appeared that some shell marl was compos¬ 
ed of 
Lime. 41 251 
Carbonic acid. 32 
Silex... 14 
Argil......... 4 > in 100 parts 
Oxide of iron. 2 5 I 
Inflammable matter... 3 
Loss . 4 70 1 
wear and tear is also considerable. All weighty considerations, which, 
when compared with the tenure of the land, deserve mature considera¬ 
tion before the improvement be attempted-.* 
Tenants should, therefore, be cautious how they undertake it, unless 
backed either by the security of a long lease, or by entire confidence 
in the estimation of their landlord ; for a very considerable period may 
elapse before it incorporates with the soil, and, consequently, before 
any benefit can be received from it. Of which, that able farmer Mr. 
Marco, of Suffolk, gives an instance, in 120 square yards having been 
laid upon some very poor soil at an expense that would have purchas¬ 
ed the fee simple of the land; yet no visible improvement was effected 
in comparison with other ground which had not been marled, until 
very long afterwards, but then it evidently obtained an advantage, 
which it maintained after a lapse of twenty years .—Library of Useful 
Knowledge , Farmers’ Series. 
THE DIFFERENCE OF EXHAUSTING AND ENRICHING 
TILLAGE. 
Grant me space in your columns to communicate to the public the 
results of my experience in farming. I have been trying to farm for 
twenty years, nineteen of which, I persisted in my own course, unaid¬ 
ed by agricultural papers, or by any systematic rule; consequently my 
improvements were small. The last year I subscribed for the Tennes¬ 
see Farmer, and searched, read and examined it, and other authors—■ 
entirely turning my attention to book farming: and I freely acknow¬ 
ledge, that the improvements I have made during that period, have 
far exceeded those of the nineteen previous years; and I return you 
my sincere thanks for your aid—though I have not acquired all my 
knowledge from your paper alone, yet I have been materially benefit- 
ted by it, inasmuch as it begat in me a spirit of enterprise and desire 
for improvement. As I have derived great benefit irom the knowledge 
and experience of others, I think it my duty in return to furnish them 
with the results of my experience, soliciting an enlightened communi¬ 
ty to pursue an improved and systematic course of agriculture, assur¬ 
ing them, that they will find the profit resulting therefrom amply suffi¬ 
cient to compensate them for their labor and toil. I must, however, 
confine my remarks to a few only of my experiments, 
In the year 1822, I purchased a farm of 354 acres, 125 of which 
was cleared. The land was once good second-rate land, but was not 
completely worn out. Being greatly indebted for my farm, the idea of 
improving the cleared land never entered into my mind; but I set to 
work opening fresh land, until I had enlarged my cleared land to 225 
acres : this I continued to cultivate in corn, until a part of it was so far 
exhausted, that I could no longer cultivate this crop profitably. 
In the spring of 1833, I planted two acres of my land in corn, (this 
two acres was about equal to the balance of my cleared land,) on which 
I raised 20 bushels to the acre; the corn was Worth 25 cents per bush¬ 
el, amounting to $10; the cost of cultivating was $7; which left me a 
profit of $3. The following year it remained uncultivated. The next 
fall I sowed it in wheat. The following spring I hauled out ten tons 
of good stable manure, which I spread over one acre. At harvest I 
gathered from the two acres nineteen bushels of good wheat, which 
brought me the sum of $16.62^. The cost of the crop, I estimated at 
$6.62£. The manure say, was worth $10, which brings the account 
out even. In the spring I sowed orchard grass and clover seed. The 
succeeding spring I sowed over the grass a quantity of plaster and 
ashes. The result was—from the manured acre I mowed five loads of 
hay; from the one not manured, I mowed two loads; each load was 
worth at least $5; consequently, the manured acre yielded me $25 
worth of hay ; the unmanured acre only $10 worth. The cost of har¬ 
vesting the manured acre was $1.50; plaster, &c. 50 cents, making $2. 
Profit, five loads of hay at $5 per load, $25, leaving a clear profit of 
$23 on the manured acre. The cost of harvesting the unmanured acre 
was 75 cents; plaster, &c. 50 cents; making $1.25. Profit, two loads 
of hay, at $5 per load, $10; clear profit on this acre only $8.75. Dif¬ 
ference of profit in one year in favor of the manured acre, $14.25. 
I have this year made three experiments in my wheat field, to ascer¬ 
tain what kind of manure is best suited for wheat. I applied barn ma- 
* The price of good marl, when raised by contractors, is charged at such va¬ 
rious prices in different places, that we should probably mislead some of our 
readers if we were to state them. It is computed at separate sums for ground- 
age, digging, and spreading upon the land; but independent of the cost of car¬ 
riage, which is to be added. We may, however, observe that, when taken 
from the wastes or commons, it is the practice of some landlords to charge 5s. 
an acre for the land marled ; others 2d. per farm-horse load ; and in some parts 
of the north the expense has been thus calculated : paring the marl, say of three 
feet of superficial soil, 12s per cubic rood of 64 yards : getting and tilling the 
marl, 12s; loading it, supposing the pit to beat the distance of 100 or 150 
yards, 21s ; and spreading, 4s. per rood.—Cheshire Report, p. 223; Steven¬ 
son’s Lancashire, p.496. In Hampshire, the total charge of marling, when 
done by the farmer's men and teams, at an average distance of 80 rods from 
the pit, is stated at £3 10s. per acre, presuming the quantity laid on to be 30 
cart-lo idsof 1£ ton each; that is, taking common laborers at 2s. and horses, 
ncluding wear and tear, at 4s. per day.—-Vancouver’s Hants, p. 337. 
