Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-03-26
VOL. 2.--NO. 80.
now MINERAL COAL WAS MADE.

Geology has proved that at one period tnere
! existed an enormously abundant land yegeta-v
/ ton, the ruins rubbish of which, carried in
! to seas, and there sunk to the bottom, and af-
| terwards covered over by sand and mtid-beds,
| became the substance we recognize as coal
It may naturally excite surprise that the yege
table remains should have so completely chang
cd their apparent character, and become black.
But this can be explained by chemistry; and
part of the marvel becomes clear to the sim
plcst understanding, when we recall the fami-
liar fact, that damp hay, thrown closely into a
he ap, gives out heat, and becomes Of dark
color. When vegetable mass is excluded
from the air, and subjected to great pressure,
abitunhous fermentation is produced, and the
result is the mineral coal, which is of various
characters, according as the mass has been ORR
! ginally intermingled with sand, clay, and 9th
er earthly impurities. Onaccount of the change
! effected by naturalization, it is difficult to de-
| tect in coal the traces of vegetable struc
| ture; but these can be made clear in all except
! the highly bituTninous eoking coal, by cutting
! or polishing ii down into thin transparent sill
| ces, when the microscope shows the fibre and
| cells very plainly. From distinct, isolated
| specimens, found in the sand stones amidst tho
coal beds, we discover the plants Of this era
| They are almost all Of simple, cellular struc
ture. and such as exist with US in small forms,
(horse tails, club mosses, and ferns,) but ad
/, vanced to an enormous magnitude. The spe-
/ cies are long since extinct. The vegetation is
| such as grows in clusters of tropical islands,
but it must have been the result of a high tenn
perature obtained otherwise than that Of the
| tropical regions now is, for the coal strata are
found in the temperate; and even the polar
| regions. The conclusion, therefore, to which
most geologists have arrived, is, that the earth,
| originally incandescent, or highly heated
mass, gradually cooled down, until in the car
| boniferons period it fostered growth of ter
restrial vegetation all over its surface, to which
| the existing jungles of the tropics are nero
| barrerness in comparison. The high and uni
| form temperature, combined with greater
proportion of carbonic acid gass IN the manu-
| facture, could not only sustain gigantic ana
prolific vegetation, but would also c-es.e denss
vapors, showers and rains; aad these again et~
gartic rivers, periodical inuadatioas, and DEL
tas. Thus ali the conditions for extensive ds-
posits Of wood in estuaries. would arise from
| this high temperature; and every circumstance
connected with the coal measures points to
such conditions.
PoTAToEs-BUrr ENDS vs.. SEED Exps.-John
Brown, of Long Island, communicates the fol-
lowing to the Granite Farmer.
sSeveral years ago L made some expert
nents TO satisfy myself concerning the dispu-
ted point as TO which is the best portion of
potato to plant in order to obtain the largest
and best yield. The exact result, has been
lost, and as / have often since heard and read
assertions directly contrary to the conclusions
which l then deduced, resolved to repeat
the experiments. Last spring planted four
rows of equal length, side by side, with two
varieties of potatoes. In one row planted
none but the seed ends, SO called. including
about one-third of the potatoes, and in the
next row planted the butt end Of the samo
potatoes. had one row of seed ends and ono
row of butt ends Of variety called Peach
Blows. The yield of these four rows was as
follows PINK eyes, butt ends, 2l7 pounds;
seed ends, l79 pounds Peach blows, butt
ends, 229 pounds; seed ends, 119 pounds
The potatoes raised from the butt ends were
much larger than those from the seed ends,
and appeared to be from week to ten days
earlier. This result corresponds with that Of
my former experiment. Had the whole field
been planted with butt ends .he yield would
have been more than 500 bushels TO the acre
I also planted two rows next TO tho above, In
one of which put only large potatoes. half
a tuber in each hill, cut length-wise so as to
divide tho eyes equally, and in the other row I
dropped only small potatoes, one in each hill.
From the former i,dug lSl pounds, and from
average yield of the field was about $50 pounds
to the row; and that large (noi the very lar
gest) potatoes were used for seed cut length
wise with half of turber in each HILL"
a SAILOR was called upon the stand as
witness. 81 ~
swell, sir,'' said the lawyer, edo you knox
the plaintiff and defendant f' Fa haF
al don't know tie drift of them words,''
answered the sailor. seseH ,easzs
"What, not know the meaning of plaintiff
and defendant 7'' continued the lawyers pret-
ty fellow you are TO come here as witness.--
Can you tell me where on board the ship IL was
that this man struck the other one ." 80
"Abaft the binnicle,'' said the sailor. sf
z"Abaft the binnicle. what do you mean by
that 7' asked the lawyer. e2ia
GA pretty follow you, responded the sailor,
"to come here as lawyer, and don't know what
abaft the pinnacle naeans.'
A WAC says he knows only one thing better,
than love, and that Is to be thrown intoa pond