Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-11-15
REPORT ON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
OF VERMONT.

To The House of representatives no,c in session.
Your committee or education, 10 whom "as re-
ferred that portion Of the Governors message
which refers to geolog cal survey, respectfully
port,
| That they have had the same under consider, a.
! ton, and are strongly impressed with the impor.
lance Of The object. The advantages Of such sur
yeys are no longer predetermined. They have been
long completed in many of The states OF our Union,
! and are now in progress in New Hampshire, New
| York, and some Of the western states. The effect
| has been, in New Jersey, to render her barren
plains the most productive land IN the state, to in.
crease their value from five TO thirty dollars an
acre, and TO retain upon them an industrious and
prospe rous population, who were about to aban.
don them for The more fertile pfalrles Of the west.
! In Massachusetts. an impetus has been given to
every branch of agriculture, and means of imIrov
| ing their soil have been discovered, which have
! already added much TO the wealth OF her intelligent
| farmers. Similar results have been produced in
Maine and New Hampshire has been much
! implessed with the advantages conferred upon her
| neighbors that size has this season commenced a
! similar survey. Probably no state in New Eng.
furnishes a better field lor the seoogIst than Yer.
mont. Iier mineral treasures all eady developed
| are Of ncalcuablc value, and would, If she pos
sessed the means of easy access to markets, pro.
| duce an income nearly equal 10 that derived from
! her agricultural products. lion, the most valuable
OF all minerals, is found OF an excellent quality in
many parts OF the state, aud would. without doubt,
should this survey be made, be brought TO light in
many olhec places, where its existence is not now
| suspected OF her granite, her state mouse furnishes
| a beautiful and mpe, IshahIe sample. Already
| she exports every variety Of marhle-her qualries
| of freeslone and slate, ave becoming sources OF
wealth, and she could now stock all the world with
copperas, article Of indispensable importance
to our manufacturers. II cannot he supposed that
l,ilh er Al b,vp brp Iicplo
geol0g cal survey will point out where these and
other valuable minerals are 10 be sought, and,
| where they may be reasonably expected 10 he.
Goand. l. has been too much the custom 10 consd.
er geolog lcai survey merely as mater of sclen.
t6c interest that lis only object was 10 examine
the several rock formations, determine the order
in which they are situated, ascertain their mineral
contents, and from this information Ia overthrow
some old theory or establish new one with regard
TO The causes which have operated TO produce such
arrangement. If your committee viewcl The sub.
jeci in that light, they would not, certainly, N the
G present state of our treasury, with no other reve.
nue. hut that derived from direct taXaon imuose
the slightest burden the people TO promote it .
They would leave it TO individual enterprise. Bur
4 as a measure Of ECONOMY calculated to increase the
resources OF the taxpayer, and Ihus render the
support Of government less onorou', they feel just.
: fled in recommending small appropriation.
The geologisr of Name estimated that more
" man lIe NNpe expense Oh lNe survey II al been
o saved TO the state, bv putting md the inds.
eliminate digging for minerals in places where
they were never known to eXist, AID to the waste
. ul money in endctOriug TO rendr ores productive
winch are entirely valueess.
lur the addition which it furnishes TO The agri
n cultural resources OF a country, what tenders a
knowledge of lis geology peculiarly important, -
u Geology has TO d. not Only viii the rocks which
v form the crust Of the earth but with the soil which
: covers them, and which, is iorml from their disn
s tegration. Every rock forms ieculiar soil which
q ares in productveness according TO the maleri
ais Of which IT is composed, AMI which natural,
y produces vegetation peculiar ITO Itself, The re
n mains Of animal and vegetable dccomposlions
form, in The course OF time, seu Important irgre
y dent. This ~ found 10 exist IN yer, different pro-
y portions in different soils, Blu, important az TIN
. material Is, its quantity furnishes no exact meas.
!" IRE OF fertility. II may exist in STATE which IN
o. fits it for The nourishmenl Of certain plants, aut
requires the addition Of some substance which vii
'e produce chemical change that viii Iapt it TO lh
Nv nature of the crop intended 10 be Tlsed. Thu
peat meadows, composed entirely OF vegetable re
ID mains, produce nothing but coarse Jog grass bu
i: when mXed with other soil, form tie most produc
i've lands, and may be converted into most val
J." liable manure. The mineral conlens OF the sol
re are OF no less Importance. Whea cannot be rails
ed on a soil destitute of lime willie Indian cor
" requires but little. Prof. Hitchcock remarks
o. ~ tlla ldcls indeed seem 10 warrant me c0nclusiO
that without lime in some form land viii not pro
ne duce any valuable vegetation" Without chemcf
q. ana ysIs, it can with no certainty be determine
that any soil, although situated upon lime rock
VI contains a sufficient quantity Of this article.
s may have beer exhausle ed BY repeated cultivation Q
!. the original soil may have been washed away, an
va another deposited IN It's place. This was found to
he the fact In Massachusetts - the land in the lime
stone district, possessing but ile more of this sui
C. stance than thelmore prImive portions of the stat
he The vegetable principle is not The same IN a
soils, and on this account different chemical asen
ne are required TO render il active. Some lands r
qure lime, others potash These are not no
supposed 10 act as furnishing an appropriate s'n
sst ulus 10 the plant but by producing ehen'c
change in the nutritious part oflhe soil. W'lho
VI The aid of science or the light OF experience, II
ch practice of'le agricuurisl must be entirely emf
y" rical.
at While some soils are deficient in vegetable M
be 'ers, Others are found composed almost entirely
Nv this maeriel. These last are capable Of he'
'ry converted into most excellent manure. 10 MA
lin sachuselts quicksand has been discovered, WI
- "a wonderfully ler'illzng in lis operations upon