Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1852-03-03
co M M u n l G. A II l 0 n S.
No. 8.
For the Times

No. 3.
Opinions and Reflections as to the Geologi-
cal Charcter of this Couny-ifs Forma-
tion and Struciure-iis susceptibility Of
improvement. and Capabilities Of Produc.
tion-wuh some Suggestions as to the
Means and advantages aciiAin our reach.
GEOLOGY AND AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES
OF CHARLES COUNTY.
Charles county is traversed by a success
sion Of hills of various elevation, with plate
aus Of varied extent, and iniersected by valleys
and ravines through which flow the stream
and channels which dram the highlands aud
convey the waters into the Potomac and Pa
tuxent and their tributaries. The superin-
cumbent soil is much diversified in cha
racter, and TO attempt TO descrbe.it accu-
raiely in sections, with my acquaintance
with the different localities, which is no,
very extensive or minute, would fill vol
ume, and occupy unnecessarily the space Of
your paper. shall content myself, there
fore, with but general description of its in
gradients and an extract from the report Of
Doctor DUcArEL in 1884 The principal
properties of our soil are slick, aIumina with
a slight admixture Of per oxide Of iron, and
vegetable matter. "Sou,h Of the Mauawo-
man." says Doc,. D, "and embracing the
large tract of land below it and Port Tobacco
river, the diluvial formation, composed Of
gravel, sand and clay, having a depth Of from
one hundred to one hundred and fifty fee,,
rests upon a great bed of blue mari, pos
sessing very remarkable characters. Sub
jec,ed TO analy isis, j, proves not 10 be rich in
calcareous PARTICLES, bu! it frequently con-
tsins potash as one Of its constituents, by
which il becomes assimla,ed to the green
mari, so called, of New JERSEY and Virginia.
known to possess very ferliIizng properties.
al,hough frequently wi.hou, trace of lime"
Again. "Bul The bes, lands occur on the
alluviaI fats along the Potomac, formed by
the washing Of the soil from the elevated
country which bounds them to the north
and east. Some of these fats are of consid-
erable extent, increasing in this respect from
north to south. The principal ones are
in Charles county-in Pomonkey district, at
, Maryland Point in Nanjemoy, Piccawaxen,
and Cobb Neck. These districts probably
furnishing upon an average the best soils Of
the county, upon its Potomac side. They
are sandy and clayey loans, and occasion
ally stiff clays, yielding good crops Of wheat,
corn and tobacco.
On the eastern or Patuxent side of The
county, the lands are also uneven and bro
ken by succession of short hills, divided
by deep and abrupt ravines, terminating on
the river or the streams which flow into it.
From the table lands or plateaus between
the waters of the Potomac o. Wicomico, the
Zach:a and Gilbert swamps, and those of
the Patuxent, Swanson's creek, Sc, the
soil varies as much or more in character,
containing generally greater proportion
Of sand, with larger admix,ure Of sege-
table decomposition, ferruginous sand, and,
as they approach the river, more distinct
ly marked by calcareous matter. 1t is
manifest that tertiary stratum runs
through this whole peninsula, underlying
the diluuial formation of clay and sand,
which in various degrees of admixlure form
the whole surface soil. In the valleys and
slopes adjacent to the water courses and
conduits, through which, doubtless, at one
time, there flowed large tributaries to the
Potomac and Chesapeake, the alluvial de-
posts are deeper, sffordng every vegetable
ingredient necessary 10 the most fertile soil.
The ,able lands lying between those valleys
and those which divide the waters of the
Potomac and Patuxent, or those Of the Wi.
comico aud their several tributaries are mark
ed by clay and sand. In many places ferru.
ginous clay and sand stone may be seen ly