Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-06-03
AGRIC 1T U r E.
1Florr the Carolina Planter.
nsaRTING FACTS AND ESTIMATES

sept. ZUn 10TH
Throughout my extensive personal intercourse
with the planters of lower South Caronna anu
nv efforts, (while conducting the Agricultural
Snrvey 10 induce their use of mari, found The
main obstacle 10 be the greatly exaggerated con-
centions prevailing Of the difficulty and cost OF
the opera,icn. These mistaken opinions It was
moi always in my power even TO moderate, ahc
ain more rarely 10 efface entirely. For II was
moi mater 10 be decided BY reasoning. nor oY
the assertion Of opposi G belief or convichon;
required statements Of facts-ot minute DEANS u
similar operations, accurately observed ana ho'eu,
and fnllv reported, and for sufficient length OF
,;m. ~ show that the operations could be trusted
for continuance or duration, and were mol merely
temporary effort
Having at The beginning OF this year, settled
and removed 10 recently purchased farm, and
commenced marling it under the many d,sad-
yantapes of new settler aud beginner, perhaps
The statement OF portion OF The abors, and esll-
macs of the cost, will serve TO lessen The douots
and anticipated difficulties Of many OF my TRENDS
and others in South Carolina; and thus may lor-
ward thai mode Of the improvement OF Inc Stale
which have SO long and zeaiously endeavored
10 promote. ,
The labors and expenses OF maring (and also
az liminol are oyer-rated and dreaded, merely
S,ee,,.ros r,s,.eny s,ra1lnace shcen way truseand
experience, then will il be truly deemed lar cheap
or Than some other OF the now customary labors
and improvements, OF which no one doubts The
proprieiy or fears the expense, or even counts The
cost as an objection 10 their execution. And not
only will marling be deemed cheaper, relatively
or in comparing amount and duration OF profits
az we'll as expenses, but absolutely Of less cost
than tina, Of other labors of transient operation,
and less effect even for the time. More expen-
siye labors are regularly performed on almost
eyery plantation in the lower districts; as in the
first cutting down and tillage Of woodland, ditch
ing swamps embanking tide marshes, and their
cultivation in rice, and in collecting and apply
ing nee,ing n,anures from the woods or marshes.
Suprose that any one OF these usual processes
were proposed to planter who had no expert
ence Of II whatever suppose. ALSO the advice 10
be accompanied By proper and sufficient direc-
lions for the performance, and BY The most cogenl
arguments, and sound estimates 10 prove The ex-
pediency and profit Of the practice. Sill the as
ser,ion may be ven;ured that in every such case
the novelty OF the subject alone would invest il
with as much OF dreaded difficulty and expense
as DOW operate 10 oppose marling.
II 10 meet, and, if possible, 10 remove such
objections, that the following statement OF facts
Is now offered. And to serve the purpose design
cd il is necessary for the details TO be presented
so fully, that fear they may be deemed tedious.
My present mari diegings are on the Newcas-
lie farm and 755 wards distant from the boundary
line Of my own land (Marlbourne,) 1.-THE use Of
The mari having been afforded me BY the Kindness
Of the proprietor Carter Brayton Esq. The land
where The mari is dug, and that on which II is
carried are paris Of the extensive and well known
fats, bordering the Pamunkey river The gra-
dual ascent from the margin Of The pis, where
The mari is thrown up on the surface OF me land
for the carts is not more than ten feet oil perpen-
dicuar height, 10 the highest summit, after
which, The routes 10 all the diferen, places ofde-
pos!,c pass over slight and gradual fluctuations
Of surface as much descending as ascending,
End which variations Of level, in their extremes,
scarcely exceed six feet. Su level way is OF
course great advantage, and enables me to car
~ much heavier loads than on tie high and billy
lands which formerly married elsewhere. But,
on The other hand. this almost level surface, with
q close subso requires he land every where 10
!. rdsed and the water burrows Cor deep a!eys)
an the r:any deeper cross grips" (or very mar
row AMI shallow ditches,) together presen, great
er obstacles 10 the passage Of carts over the fields,
than would be found with much more OF ascent
aod Inequality Of surface, bul with smooth III
iage In thes- respects. both II advantage and
disadvantage the land have 10 marlis very SINH
lar 10 much Of that on and near the Ashley and
Cooper rivers,
A previous, and as yer, The most extensive ex-
caration, was begun in January, and completed
digging vas commenced. OF the former, IL is
enough here 10 say, that the stratum Of mari was
poorer and much thinner. and The OVERLAPPING
eaHh much thicker; and, altogether The labor
greater and the returns less Than OF the later dig
sing TIE mari and green-sand earth (Which
lies benearh) removed from this one excavation
BY rough measure OF the pit, amounted 10 2C,C0O
solid ieet. Notes cf that operation also were ac-
cnraely Kept for The portion Of The lime ifcm
A - sDn ,L F,,.- RtrttI ,op ,..n he
here reported. because those following ara enough,
and are of more regular and uniform labors, and
embrace The whole OF one digging, from It's COM
mencemeHl 10 the closing Of the daily record.
AT the latter place, the OVERLAPPING earth is from
4 70 feet thick. Of which The upper and larger
portion 10 OF sandy surface soil. and The suhsoils
ct loose and dry sand, and gravely sand; all
making or feet OF thickness. generally quite
easy 10 dig and Ia throw on. Nexl is thin lay
er Vi hari and wet gravel, lying on d soft and
very adhesive lerrusinous clay Of foot or less.
This clay is the general waier-hearng stratum,
receiving, through The pervious earth above, The
percolatiag rdia-waler, ard preventing lis lower
descent; and over which ciay towards my dig
sing, small but permanent springs ooze out
every where. The labor OF digging and shovel
ling this soft and sticky thin clay stratum is as
stea, as Of all The dry and loose earth above
even with the necessary care, after reaching the
clay, Of digging small drain all along in it,
next 10 The high land, TO cut and lead off the
springs, and thus leare the clay 10 get dryer for
working al some later time. Immediately under
The clay is the mari. Like the overlaying strata,
it is nearly horizontal, and is from ! 10 ieet
thick Beneath the mari lies The stratum OF
sreen.saud earth, Of great and unknown thick
ness. Of this none has been used in the present
digging As soon as the green sand is reached,
the pi, is abandoned and afterwards filled by the
earth thrown on 10 uncover The next parallel
range of mari
The mari is OF very uniform texture For
few inches al top, and something more al bottom,
il j. little softer than the intermediate BODY OF 6
or 7 feet, which is compact and close, though moi
very hard The heavy and sharp grabbing hoes
used 10 dig il are struck in about % or ) inches
With good blow. The color is blush gray, or
VIII dry, ash color. Though moist il furnishes
no oozing water; and is as dry as any eauh could
he, il always covered BY wet and waer-bearns
clay. The mari, as dug, weighs lOl or los
pounds to the heSped bushel. Ii allowed 10 ge,
weiier, lis weigh, is much Increased, as we'll as
The trouble OF shovelng found, BY trial, that
a busbel Of this narl moist as when dug, wond
absorb upwards of Two gallons more OF water,
without being SO surcharged that any OF The wa
Ter would drip away Ye, half Of the people who
work mari having springs oozing out above, al
low so much access Of water, as 10 add or 10
pounds, or more, 10 every Lushel Of mari, and TO
increase the other labors of handling in full as
great proportion.
This mari contains an average proportion Of
Al per cent. Of carbonate of lime and $ or 10 per
cent. oil green-saDd. Ii is dug much easier than
mos, OF the marls Of the San,ee, Ashley and
Cooper rivers. On the other hand, these, in ge-
neral are nearly twice as rich a, mine in calca-
reous matter. Most of them, also, are free from
water, aud have less everything ear h, in proper
lion 10 the workable mari; and all are of very
great and unknown thickness. Every proprietor
Of mari there, may compare his own facilities
and disadvantages with mine, and estimate the
excess OF either.
My mode of working 10 this case was directed
BY The disadvantageous circumstances oi The wa