ViNCENTOWN,  three  miles,  is  a  flourish-
ing village  on  the  south  branch  of  the
Rancocas  river.  It  contains  several  pro-
ductive industries,  the  most  prominent  of
which  is  the  digging  and  shipping  of  marl.
This  natural  and  valuable  product  of  middle
and  southern  New  Jersey  exists  in  immense
quantities.  It  is  a  marine  deposit,  formed
by  the  decomposition  of  Crustacea  in  beds
of  sand  and  vegetable  matter,  where  it  has
reposed  for  countless  ages,  undergoing
changes  which  have  resulted  in  the  creation
of  one  of  the  most  valuable  fertilizers  known.
When  the  surface  is  removed  from  a  deposit
of  marl,  the  formation  is  found  with  little
moisture  in  it,  uniform  in  appearance,  of  a
dark  green  and  slaty  hue.  The  spade  cuts  it
as  readily  as  a  knife  passes  through  a  cheese.
The  lumps  or  masses,  as  thrown  out,  cling
together  till  they  become  dry,  and  then  dis-
integrate and  crumble,  till  a  heap  that  has
stood  for  a  few  weeks,  and  especially  one
that  has  been  exposed  through  a  winter,  is
as  fine  and  mellow  as  an  ash  heap.  A  net
ton  of  this  substance,  as  excavated  in  the
region  traversed  by  the  railroad,  contains,
by  analysis,  seventy-five  pounds  of  potash
and  seventy  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid.
The  village  of  Vincentown  contains  three
churches,  two  select  schools,  a  bank,  a  public
hall,  and  two  hotels.    Population  about  1 200.
WEST  JERSEY  RAILROAD.*

Camden. — Northern  terminus.  (See  Cam-
den and  Amboy  Railroad  for  description.)

Gloucester,  four  miles. — A  city  on  the
Delaware  river,  in  Camden  county,  noted
for  its  extensive  and  varied  manufactories.
