The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-03-12 00:00:00

- Why then should we was. F.
the village, merely to increase

of the town exhibitions ?
motto, and quite applicable in the
well to all. If flowers should give pls..
be too many of them, and we would

correspondents to labour at the improvetue).
societies, rather than endeavour to deprive cm.
tlemen, and villagers, of their pleasure. As fa.
have seen, there is ample room for improvement in su,
large societies, and good lessons might be learned frot.
the smaller ones : in this neighbourhood these are nctv,
limited to those of Woolton, Hale, and Childwall; the
first of these has hitherto been well conducted, and has
produced much good in the improveinent of gardeners,
and enlivening the inhabitants. We think the committee
have, however, this year, taken a false step,—it is arran-
ged that there is to be but one show, and the funds raised
by it to be devoted to the various charities of the parish.
This is decidedly a mean way of being charitable —a gen-
tleman makes his gardener do extra work andi labour
hard in order that he may appear liberal, without draw-
ing his purse strings ; and in this case it is rendered more
apparent by one of the rules made by the committee, viz.,
that the gardeners are to be requested to raise as many
plants as possible for sale, but the gentlemen are to be
paid for the pots! We hope this is not the full measure
of Woolton charity. The cuttings cost nothing : striking
them and raising them to a plant can be done by the gar-
dener, but the pots cost a half-penny each which must be
refunded to the charitable gentlemen.
The Hale show is an old-established one, and long may
it continue to thrive, for it has the good word of every
visitor and exhibitor who has ever attended ir. Childwall
exhibition, too, deserves the warmest praise. It has not
only afforded encouragement to gardeners and pleasure to
the multitudes who have yearly visited it, but it has raised
an excellent spirit of emulation by its cottagers' prizes,
which are not limited to those of Childwall village only,
but to the whole parish which is very extensive. The
great success of this society has scarcely been equalled by
any similar one, for instead of the usual difficulties con-
cerning funds there has always been a handsome balance
in hand, which has enabled the society to increase the
prize money—especially that offered to cottagers—until it
has become the most liberal schedule in the county. The
idea of amalgamation with which we started has been
suggested to our correspondents, doubtless, by the cir-
cumstance of a new society being talked of in Liverpool,
but the plan of that society, if it be formed, is not to
interfere w:th neighbouring societies, but merely to
establish an exhibition in Liverpool upon a better and
more extensive scale than has hitherto been attempted.
It will not be carried out during the present year.

PAPERS ON

AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY

NO. XXIII

Next in importance to lime, amongst inorganic ma-
nures, is Marl, a substance almost universally diffused,
and available in most places for agricultural operations.
Its use has been found very beneficial, when judiciously
applied ; but it becomes mischievous, when used to too
great an extent, or on land which does not require it.
There are several varieties of this substance, such as
Shell Marl, which is the most valuable, Chalk Marl, Clay
Marl, Slaty Marl, and Sandy Marl. They all contain
calcareous and argillaceous earths, in various proportions,
mixed with other substances, such as sand, alluvium, and
organic matter. Those varieties containing the greatest
proportion of calcareous matter are most beneficial. That
which is found at the bottom of bogs and marshy pools
contains the greatest amount of lime and decomposed or-
ganic products ; it should, therefore, be used in prefer-
ence to all others, if easily obtainable. Its use should be
confined to light lands, especially where sand prevails.
One of the best methods of applying marls is in a state of
compost with farm-yard manure ; but this is not always
practicable, because it is usually dug from pits near where
it is to be applied, and would, therefore, be rendered ex-
pensive by cartage.
It must be borne in mind that eren on lands which
derive the most benefit from marling, it is absolutely
necessary to use organic manures, otherwise great ex-
haustion will be the consequence—for marl does not fur-
nish all that is required by plants; and, as it exerts
stimulating powers of an extraordinary kind, the organic
matter existing in the soil is very speedily taken up, and
must be from time to time renewed. As a general rule,
marl will be of use wherever lime would, excepting on
clay lands. It should be applied to the surface a': the
commencement of winter, in order that the frost may act
upon and pulverise it ; and it is always better to apply
less than the land will bear than to give too much.
Small applications, occasionally repeated, are unusually
found most beneficial—when fully marled land, which is
thereby improved, continues for many years to exhibit
the benefits which it has derived. In old gardens, where
the natural soil is sandy, the application of marl once
every four or five years would be attended with great
adva..tages.