Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1859-12-17
TIE DEMOCRAT
Special Correspondence Of the Democrat.
New ORLEANS, Dec. 9, 1859.

Some time last year a proposition was
made by the Academy Of Sciences oil
New Orleans, to the Legislature, to nave
a a@eo!ogica! and scicntjical s&rycy made
Of tie State Of louisiana The PROPOSE
ton viii be again made to that body,
and, hope, initiatory proceedings will
be commenced for the purpose Of u thor
ough exploration.
As some Of your readers may not be
informed in regard to the nature Of such
a survey. it may not lie unacceptable to
them, sIlon}d give an outline Of the OBJ
jccts proposed and tlc practical benefits
aimed at. The two emjncnt'y practical
and leading objects are, 1st. The de-
yelupemcnt and clucidation Of the min
eral wealth Of the State; and 2nd The
dcvc!opcmCnt Of the agricultural re-
sources Of the State; the thorough oXami-
nation and classification of ifs soils, with
reference to tAcirimprovcment and great
er production.
III regard to the FIRST point our min
cral resources may not be 50 extensive
and valuable as those Of contiguous
States; and yet, the northwestern part
f the State is but a continuation and
termination of that vast mineral shed
which, beginning at the base of the
Rocky Mountains, extends over the
whole OF Southern Missouri and Arkan-
sas, crosses lie Mississippi river at Cape
Cirardeau, forming the vast coal fields
OF Illinois, thence taking a s0Uth-eastcr
" course. crosses the Ohio, developing
again the rich treasures in the coal fields
OF Kentucky; proceeding thence in the
same course, it forms that extensive
plateau called the Cumberland Noun
tains, beneath the surface Of which lies
imbedded inexhaustiblc mineral wealth.
Upon the southern slope Of this great
table land rich beds Of C0al are found in
the ncighhcrhood Of Tuscaloosa, Ala
bama; and there can be 10 doubt OF their
existence IL nearly all Of the southern
slopes Or outlets, from their source west
to their termination in the AllcgIiany
Ridge, near the Atlantic borders, OF the
south east. Nearly all the rich lands Of
Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, kentucky and
Tennessee are hut valleys Of erosion;
and what are called the Ozark Noun
tains in Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri,
and the Cumberland Mountains III Ken
tucly ard Tennessee, aye bnt the undis-
turbed remains OF an extensive table
land or plateau, beneath the surface Of
which coal is always and everywhere
found. 4 portion OF this plateau cx
tends into Northwestern Louisiana -
The reason that coal mines are found in
hills and mountains in portions Of Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, is
because there has been a sabterranean
disturbance Of the great plateau, which,
farther north in the State of NeW<4Ork
and Canada, has been so muehcfoded by
the action Of powerful marine currents,
that nearly all the strata lying above
the silurian or granite formations have
been swept away. It is highly proba-
bic mines of silver aud lead exist in some
portions Of our State; there are ancient
traditions Of this fact
In regard to our agricultural resources.
To know what our soils consist Of; what
they lack; how they can be improved; !;
how many varieties they present; to
what each is best adapted; and how we
can attain to their maximum production,
are certainly points Of great Interest,"
To determine these is among the objects
proposed.
The soil is very properly regarded as
a geological product, for it is the result
Of the crumbling or disintegration Of
the rock foundations, and always varies
more or less as.i its generator varies. In
the delta region the soil and strata par
take more or less Of the character Of the
section Of country above US, from whence
the foods proceeded; and hence we find
the soil mellow Or stiff, sandy or argyll
Iaceous, red OF yellow, indicating to the
aye Of the practical geo'ogist or skiltuI
agricultural chemist, the exact nature Of
the soils best adapted TO the healthy nu-
triton Of plants and cereal productions.
The animal and vegetable kingdoms are
connected together in beautiful system
Of mutual independence, exhibiting a
perpetual circulation Of certain clements
through both, the mineral kingdom be-
ing the point Of departure, and that also
where the circulation terminates, to re-
commence increasingly. Plants derive
their nourishment exclusively from the
mineral world; and altho the decayIng
remains OF former plants now contribute
to vegetation, they do 50 under mineral
forms; they promote vegetation, but are
not Indispensable to it. The mineral
food Of plants consists Of carbonic acid,
water and ammonia, from the atmos-
phere, and sulphur, phosphorus, alkalies,
earths, salts and metals derived from the
soil. Without the aid Of those snbstanc-
es derived from the soil, the others are
useless.
Tic ,ara actical ntiliEu ac tho sarun. l..