The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-09-01

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August, 1859.
DIR EDITOR ABBEvILLE BANNER:
In entering Abbevlle again take the liberty
of offering you brief communication on the
Savannah half of your District, which ! wos
prevented from laying before you, while exam.
lining that section, partly on account Of want of
leisure, partly on account Of i'll health.
The gn"'ss (strntifi cd graniic) which covers n
large portion of western Abbevillc is, near
Lowndesvil!e. overlaid by micasiate Using glass
slate, as 1t is frequently locally called)-
More generally however it supports the talcosc
slate which we see at Dorn's mine, and again
north of Wilmington, and farther north cross
ing the country south of Lowndesvillc This
talcose rock passes into quartzitic rock, be-
longing to the ifacol,mtitic series. and tbc
greasy feel gives place TO q sandy texture, par.
ticularly well marked as point west of Cal
houn's Mills. On Col. TALMAx's plantation
very well defined specuior schia even occurs.
This is that extremely rare rock, which is
quarried rs nn iron ore on The Silver Mountains
in York District.
These are the stratifi cd rocks of the rcrion
but interesting as some Of these are n greater
! economic Importance in certain respects at
! taches here to the unsLratfcl rocks. I refer
more particularly to the porphyrics of the flat
woods" A zone of eruption of these and sim.
liar rocks traverses our State and is again par
ticularly well developed in Chester and south
| crn York, where their soil is known by the
name of "black-j jack lands" In Union the re-
gior of such rocks are termed "mca,lcw
woods" All three names are alike character
istic They are very generally distinguished
by n flat, damp country and this dampncss, not
a poverty of the SOIL rs Mr.. Tuomcy has n,-
ready observed has, during tho present cyclc
in the natural rotation of crops. rarticularlv
favored the growth of the black-juc fl,uercms
ftrruginca Of Michaux)
The soils of these porphyrics are the most
calcarous so lis of which we ar, posscssed-f,r
more so than the soils of the limestone rc,rions
OF our State, for the latter rock being very
hard and comparatively indissoluble, is incapa,
'ie OF lmrarting to the soils as large II propor-
tioh OF iime as tan the less cacitcrous but
more soluble ro' rhyrics. AS n very safe and
clear proof of this fact it is but necessary to
compare the per centasr Of lime in the water
OF Chester {. H., and in that of the Limestone
Springs 'he former rises in the rorrhyroid
rock alluded TO, the latter in the solid lime
stone. Yet in the latter the taste Of lime is
scarcely perceptiblc. while the longest habit
can scarcely accustom us to the abominable
taste Of the former.
| 1t Is probably owing to the large proportion
Of lime in the soils Of these rocks that the diff.
| ferent cycles Of the natural growth are more
| speedily brought to close and that the sue
ccssions and changes are more rapid and con
scquently more readily disccrncd , for while in
the soils of other rocks these rotations are 40
gradual that generations may pass by during
the interval of change, here one general ion
may discern the rise rule and decay of an ell
tire forest crop unaided by the cxpe,li,ing hand
OF man. Deg to refer you to Reports and
III for the character of these changes The in
| fiuence of the lime in ts matter would bc
twofold-first in forcing the growth itself,
second in fastening the decay of dead vegata-
tion and thus both max ing room for n new
growth and enriching the soil for its benefit.
The study Of the indigenous vegetation is of
course Of the highest Importance to the scicn-
titic ngricu!turist, and no doubt also a lesson
may thus bc learnt from the above Nature
seems to have pointed out the fac, that rapid
rotations Of artificial crops would be very ad-
vantageous in such soils have elsewhere
already expressed the conviction that rradu.
al but thorough system of suLsoil plourl,iny
would be- extremely beneficial, the more cs-
Pccially so, rs the large percentage of lime in
the underlying tough pipc.clny woull mat crial-
~ improve the sol! above, as was shewn by
the excavations on the Kings Mountain Rail.
road
For grasses the soils Of these strappcan rocks
are particularly ndaptcd-hencc the success of
small grain culture. No donbt such portions
of the State might be converted into the most
choice pastures. and the rapid rise in the value
of horses and mules may lead to this appica-
tion
have seen 10 portion Of the State in which
the character and the mctaphorphic influences
of these rocks may be better studied than
around Calhoun's ill, and in the other body
which stretches up the Savannah and Rocky
Rivers, while the exceedingly kind and cour-
teous assistance which there met with LARGELY
augmented the natural facilities But this is
scarcely the place to enter upon the discussion
Of subject of the kind, interesting and impor.
| tant though it be.
Very Respectfully.
OSCAR NJ. LEIBER,
State Geologist S. C..
1t is impossible to give full explanation Of
,nfr h,