The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1866-12-29

dUce these IN, an eminent degFees!p ]sisa
Rocks.-The solid formations of, the
county belong to the Permian, System.
They are composed of heavy beds. OF
magnetism, cherry limestone, shalss and
gypseous clays.a The limestone jatfOrds
an excellent building material and for
fences, and is abundant in all the abrupt
slopes and the gypseous lelsy has added
much TO the soils These clays, as we'll
as extensive formations Of gypsum, are
incorporated with this system of rocks,
both in Europe and the United States.
In Kansas, IN the valley of the Smoky
Hill fork, these formations attain depth
of fifty feet or more, covering large area.
At some points these beds have been
washed away by flood that once over
spread this portion Of the continent
These waters carried the detfitus e
the gypsum forward 10 asnortheastly di-
reetiOR. mixed it with other matters com
ing from farther north, and depositedthe
sediment over the surface, and produced
the superficial formation denominated
bluff, to-Which frequent re erence is made.
When gypsum-is in due proportion in the
bluff, the circumstances may be detected
in an extraordinary growth of a peculiar
kind of grass, know az bluejoint. aE7
b Gypsum has a world wide reputation
as a fertilizer, and seems to be more BEN
efeial to some crops or plants than others
In specifying, l would remark that ex-
traOrdinary yields of sorghum have been
claimed in several localities where gyp-
sum is present in the soil. The .physi-
cal surroundings afforded no other solu
ton TO these seeming exceptions. Va
rious influences on the vegetable economy
and functions of plants have been assign
ed to this mineral aa-fae =..-s -.. -.
According to Roller, 1.-The action of
gypsum depends upon the power. possessed
by the. lime in form with oxygen and
carbon of the atmosphere compounds
which are favorable to vegetation. Ac-
coTding to Rukert, iteaetsa like any other
food. According TO Mayer, and Brown,
it-merely improves the physical proper
ties of the soil ; while according to Keil,
it is an essential constituent of the plant.
HedWig called gypsum the saliva aud gas
trio Juice of plants. Humboldt, Gnta-
ner and Albert Thaer consider it as
stimulant by which tae circulation of
plants is promoted; and Chaptal, asoribes
Its action to supposed power of supply
ing water and ,carbonic acid to plants
Davy regarded il as an essential constit-
uent of plants, because it acts only when
gypsum Is wanting in the soil, while our
English agricultarists have supposed il
to promote fermentation in the soil. .Ac-
cording TO Luebender, it acts as an excl.
ting power withoutmixipg itself with the
sap OF the plant. Accor ding to Liebig,
it fixes the ammonia ofathe atmosphere,
and according to Braconpot and Sprengel,
it supplies sulphur for the formation of
the legdmi of legaminious plazts. john
sea, the celebrated English agricultural
chemist, also eoErOborates this latter
view. ..4 j.. ..s...r,= ~ s.,,;s .,..,...,
Lead.-Specimens of ''ftoat mineral"
(sulphate of lead. have been found on
the premises Of Gen. s. N. W God. It's
origin or 7fssurs,is unknown, but-the con-
dluon of, the rocks in the. vicinity are
not unfavorable to its existence. The
strata have been Considerably disarranged
by internal action that produced dips
amounting 70 two hundred feet per mile.
The most prominent are toward the north
east, and exhibit faults and fractures to
considerable extent. These dips form
synClinal axes at Cottonwood FallsloL ID
s1iRs8er.-BglLsfof a good growth of
timber, ocGur, along all the streams,
Black walnut, oak and elm are the
most Numerous Species In addition to
these are hickory, hack KERRY, cotton wood
and sycamore 1.-The lessernspeciss are
graPeyinss, FsdbGd, buckeye, rose DC
PrOdactlOn$,--See Lyon county. -
CIina0ts.-See Lyon county.
aHeGtth -SeelLyon counIy.zloJ EFT