Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-07-16
The mari Beds Of New Jersey.

An article in the Newark On. j. Courier
states the following facts concerning the
mari beds of New Jersey, which have been
opened at Marlboro, on the Cape May Rail
road -
The use of mari as q fertilizer in New Jer-
sey is not of recent origin, though previous
to the building of railroads it was confined
almost exclusively to farms within days
carting distance of the pits or beds, the farm
ers purchasing it in the ground al so much a
rod, or by the wagon load. The usual price.
If we recollect Alright, was abont fifty cents
for two-horse wagon load, the purchaser
to dig and load it. For fifty cents the buyer
could load his team as heavily or as light rs
he choose, but even at that price it was
scarcely ever carted more than ten miles
from the point where it was digged. Geolo-
gical research has developed the fact that
belt o.sstraia Of this wonderful fertilizer runs
across our State nearly due east and west,
from the Atlantic ocean in Monmouth coun-
ty to the Delaware bay in Salem county. and
that it is about thirty miles in width. 1t
crops to the surface, however, at but few
available points for removal. The West Jer
sey Road crosses this belt q, one Of these
points about sixteen miles south OF Camden.
In fact, the neigliboring farmers had been
using the mari found there for many years
with wondrous effect, though its reputation
had not then gone abroad. Its value at once
attracted the attention of the present Presi-
dent of the road-T. Jones Yorke, the late
David Potter Of Bridgeton. John G. Stevens
Of Trenton, the late Gen. Vim. Cook and a
few other gentlemen, who organized them
selves into an association, and were after
wards incorporated by the Legislature under
the title of the West Jersey Mari Company
to develope and supply mari in any quaint
ty, at any point along the line OF the rail
road. The primary object in forming th(
company was to benefit the land from which
the railroad was to derive its business, the
profit of the projectors being incidental.
They built branch track OF a mile in length
to the lands they had then leased. purchased
cars and locomotives, and commenced oper
atoms. But like many other new enterprise!
much was to be learned by experience, anG
while vast section of country was being
greatly benefited in receiving large sgp
plies of the fertilizer at a mere nominal figure
in comparison with the cost Of other manu-
res, the promoters Of the enterprise did no
find their pockets over plethoric at the cnt
Of the first few years of labor. Their work
were repeatedly destroyed by the breakin!
OF dams and overflow of water But ia
uence, perseverance, engineering skill, an
steam pumps, finally surmounted every Oh
stcle, and during the last four or five year
the company has purchased largely of til
surrounding mari lands, and increased Il
rolling stock, added new machinery, bu
houses for the lahorcrs, and we should iuds
is now or soon will be. making money
The visible elect of Green sand mari n
the land where applied. and its cheapnes
has caused it to supersede in a great measai
Peruvian guano. supcrphosphate, and Il
limitations with which our agriculturists a
so often victimized, and Of which they a
now so justly suspicious While it can
delivered at the remotest point on the We
jersey, Camden & Amboy and New Jers,
Roads at a cost hot exceeding =. 90 per to
Professor Cook, after series OF eXperimen
with it and other fertilizers on the Aericu
tural College Farm at New Brunswick rat
its comparative value at SO per ton. With
the last year or two a considerable quaint,
has been shipped to Maryland Delaware AZ
other States, and the demand for il promis
to be so great as its value becomes bclt
known, that two or three new beds hay
been opened, to be worked on an eXtensil
scale The total sales Of tie Company Ii
year amounted to 900 tons.
In other parts Of the State. operations
mari are being large.y entered upon
company incorporated by the last Lcsi>.
ture has purchased q large tract Vi mari Iar
at Squankum, in Monmouth county. and
now constructing railroad 70 the ttac
which, when completed Ii October. "
connect with every railroad in the Sia,
From these pits, mari can be delivered
every county town in the state except twp
Toms River in Ocean county, and MAJ
Landing IN Atlantic coufty-nud tho :