Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1851-04-09
AGRICULTURAL GEOLOGY.
BY JOSIAH H0LBR0oK.
No. S.

Oxygen, calcium, carbon, sulphur, phos-
phorous, nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, aud
f"rne, are sshimate principles Of matter
simple elements, never yet decomposed or
rendered more simple. They all er,er in
to lime formations. Oxygen and calcium
are The elements of qnick-line. Oxygen
and carbon form carbonic acid. The oxyde
Of calcium, combined with car5onic acid,
forms the carbonate of lime-lhe material
Of extensive mountain ranges Of limestone
in all is varieties Of texture, color, and nlh-
er properties. Coral formations, * ending
many thousand miles in different parts Of
The earth, are the carbonate OF lime, and used
for The ordinats.purposes Of that mineral
Marbles, existing III several hundred varle
lies, are also carbonates of lime. So is chalk
So ore several hundred cry rystalne forms Of
lhis important element Of our globe. These
crystals, though presented under tao or
three hundred different shapes, can all be
reduced 10 one shape, shown ia rhonbic
spar, which, if broken into fragments small
er than the head Of d pin, presents in every
fragmen, rEomb!c or diamond shaped cry
stall.
j
Of ihree simple elements or ultimate princi-
pies, viz: Oxygen, The great supporter q!
combustion carbon, The principal eemen,
Of coal in all its varieiies-w heihcr mineral
or vegetable, of course the most important
combus,ible upon our globe; and Calcium,
a metal also combusible. The oxygen fist
exists in two combinations, viz: with Carbon
and calcium these two compounds are also
com biued. of course still more compounded
producing the mos, abundan, carbonate. and
one Of The mos, abundant rocks and uscfu!
minerals upon our globe.
Next to catbona,es Of lime, the su|phales
are the most abundan, aud useful of all lime
formations. These are also composed Of
three elements, and The same as in the car
Donates, excepting thai sui phur takes The
! place Of carbon. The oxygen and the sui
phur form sulphuric acid thai. combining
with the oxygen Of calcium, gives The sui
phae of lime. This abundan, deposit Of
! lime formations also presents very numer
Gus appearances. All lhe sui nlphales Of lime, =,
or nearly SO, give 20 the thuEb-nail The
carbonatcs yield to the point Of the knife,
/ bu, no, to the .humb-na. The carbonstes
eilervesce ilh any strong acid, even vIne
gar, which eilefvescence shows what Is call
ed life in an eye-slnne, which is the mouth
piece of certain shells; all shells being the
carbonate Of lime. Sulphuric acid has
stronger hold in lis various combinations
than most other acids, and is hence not dis
placed either by carhonic, nutlaIlc, Or nj ric
acids. Consequently the sulphale of lime
does not, like HE carbonate, elIrrvesce with
any common acid. The lhnmb-nail. the
pont of the knife, and common acid, are
hence suflicien, tests, for ordinary purposes,
to distinguish The carbonales of lime from
sulphae<. The sulpha,e, like The Carbon
ate, appears in many beautiful crystalline
forms.
ExrERlMENT.-Ey collecting such varle-
ties of these two lime formations as any one
can easily procure, and arranging Them upon
The manlelplece. or III case, a beautiful
sCALCAREoUs CABINET" will be formed
These specimens, ,es'ed by each other. by
the thunb-nall, The point of a knife, piece
Of quartz or glass, any acid, even vinegar.
also by The sight, feel, and taste, will furnish
much rich instructions and delightful amuse-
menl TO the possessor. If any one donhis
il, lei him Try the experiments. IT he has
no doubt, he will try il OF course.