Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-09-27

clay-in truth, slate is nothing, generally, but
Iindursted clay with small and variable portions
of foreign substances To the case DOW before
US, these foreign substances are of the highest
Importance; because without them, the clay alone
would form hopelessly barren soil.
/ The face of the landscape along this belt 10
distinguished from that of the contiguous lime
stone sections by some well defined peculsrities.
While much of it is hilly, the hll-tops differ in
their form from those resting upon the more rig
i'd calcareous strata. They are more gently un-
dulsting, and much more completely rounded on !
being free from the irregular elevations and de-
pressions, and rugged faces, SO common all along
our valley. The loops and windlngs OF the
streams here, are more extensive and more sym,
metrical than they are amongst the harder ana
less uniform lmestones. This is most striklDgly
illustrated by the serPentine meanderinss OF ,ne
lower part of Middle River, which crosses this
formation obliquely.
4. The fourth geological belt Is an extensive
one and occupies the central part Of the county,
running throughout its whole length from Rock
bridge to Rockingham, and bounded on its b. Z.
side by the limestone belt (9) for the first ten
miles in N. Eastern direction; then by the
states of (3) along the remainder OF that slde.-
On the N. W. it Is limited by the states lying q
long the base of the Little N. Mountain and the
broken ridges which skirt the valley from buf-
| falo GAP to the northern portion of the county.
The average width of this division is probably
| little more than ten miles. Hence it covers
more than one-fourth of the whole county.
In most of its features it is very similar to 2.
The rocks Upon which il rests are sratifled lime.
stones. and cacareous sheles, with iDterlying
beds of flint rock (called "chert" and also "horn'
stouen by Geologists) The strata of the greater
part of this belt dip towards the Blue Ridge,
passing beneath the states Of and coming out
on the opposite side to form belt 2. 10 this di.
vision the corresponding strata are thicker than
| in 2. while some are found here which do not
extend far enough to reach beyond the slates.-
Along the eastern side Of this belt the rocks
have much greater dip than they have farther
west. The variation may be distinctly seen De-
tween the point at which the Railroad leaves
the states. mile east of Stanton, and tne De-
pot at that place. Near this Depot the position
of the strata may be very distinctly seen: be-
tween this and the North Mountain the dip va
varies frequently, and as we approach the west.
ern side. towards the base of the mountain, 1t
changes to q western, or rather northwestern
direction, and the valley limestones pass beneath
the mountains. An elevating force has evident:
lv been once exerted beneath this formation, and
in an irregular course, the general bearing OF
which has been parallel with the North Moon-
tain. and its distance from the base OF the noun
tain VARYING from one to two or three miles,
The result has been, the inclination of the strata
in opposite directions on the opposite sides OF
this line. Towards the northern part Of the
county. from Churchville to the Rockingham
line the course of these elevations Is more irreg-
nlar: and in fact there are several places where
the upheayal seems to have taken place IN lines
branching off from each other at large angles.
There are some ranges Of hills belonging to
this belt which have an important influence upon
| its agricultural character. The first OF these
run into the county from Rockbridge, where it
| is known as Timber Ridge. 1t passes Old frov.
idence Church, and, bearing little 10 the west
of Greenvlle, runs parallel with che valley ROAD
to Staunton. Here it becomes broken and ir-
regular, but soon makes it's appearance again,
beyond the town, in q more regular form and
running nearly parallel with the turnpike Lead
| inc to Hsrrisonburg, it extends into Rockingham.
This Is the most elevated range OF hills in that
portion of the county lying within the Great
Valley. Another range running nearly In the
same direction, passes little east OF Middle
| brook: thence q little,west of Stsunton then,
becoming more broken, keeps its course with
less regularity until it leaves the county near
Centreyille. These hills are remarkable through.
ont their whole extent, for the immense beds or
anty ebert. by which much of the surface has
been covered with coarse pebbles, in many places
40 heavily as to render the soils not only unpro.
duotiye. but even untillable, and almost unln-
habited.
8. The remaining division of the county e1.
tends from the termination Of the valley lime.
stones To the summit of the Shenandoah noun.
tain which forms the N. W. boundary. This 10
very mountainous region. and with the excep.
ton of the valleys lying along the Great and
Little Calf Pasture rivers possesses but little
agricultural interest. To the scientific Geologist
il ia the most interesting section OF the county
but in a practical point OF view it is the least
| important of all. The mountains are composed
of states and sandstones, with an occasional oed
Of limestone highly fossiliferous in character
Those states which border on 4, and crop out
along the base of tho Little North Mountain, are
OF the same geological character as those OF belt
8 and were doubtless once connected with them
the portion formerly overying the Intervening
limestones having been swept OF.
The lower hills which lie along the Oalf Pas-
ture valleys are saty, but the states here give
less productive soils than those along the oase OF
4 Little North Mountain, and in belt 3. The al
|Iuyial deposits of this section, found along the
water-courses, present the most important tea
ture in its agricultural relations.
Let us now review briefly these several Sec
tions into which we have divided the county,
and see the extent to which the rocks we have
travelled over, have been and still are mines OF
agricultural wealth, far richer and more inex-
baustible than all the mines OF manganese, to DO
:, found from one end Of the Blue Ridge 70 tne
, other. q. .o =. oAAf0AiI'
Wasaington College, Sept, 1859.
PSI feel very confident that the foregoing
discussion is not sufficiently direct in its bearings
lupou agriculture to suit the tastes OF great
many farmers, but still it is necessary TO tuii
and clear view of the whole subject. IL Will at
east show that the geological peculiarlties OF an
; agricultural region may, to great extent, ae-
y termne it's wealth. D. IL W
OuARAorER1srIo.- New York Tribune
says: I'VE have rarely seen two better illustra-
tops of tue English character than the following
from the letters of friend who went to Europe
Iast july. The captain of the little steamer
which took him up the Solent from Cowes to
Southampton, "a stout, short, rosy fellow, with
crisp yellow hair, dwet with pride on every OBJ.
iect. and at times almost became poeticsl.
limited" says the writer, "the possibility OF
French invasion, mildly, very mildly. You