The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-04-01
For THE RECORD.
TIE Pfys1eAL GE0oR4 Pr or TIE
SoUFHE19N RoRfIoN or
HUNTERD0N co.
HUNTERD0N co.
BY DIR. G. w. LARrsox.

Probably there are few subjects Chat, more
interest the inhabitants Of 4 district of coun-
try than Physical Geography and yet there
are few subjects so much neglected. The in-
trinsic value Of a district is oftentimes over
looked and. consequently, generation after
generation passes away, while the riches OF the
region lie hid from view or slso are wasted
by misappfieatiqA The healthfulness and fer
tility, or in other words, its real value, de-
pend npof.tlo kn5wledse which Is citizens
possess IA thdelelnents ceinposing'it, and how
these elements work together.
1t is quite common that we spend large
amount of our time in the study of the phys
ical geography ofregions SO far away from us
that with the exception of the discipline OF
mind and the satisfying of our curiosity it
can do us very little good, while the physical
forms of our own State and neighborhood al
most fail to engage our attention. This
should notbc No. e There y no region which
does not present objects worthy of our atten-
ton, and very many Of the principlessof the
science may be discovered III any sneighbof-
hood. Aud when, we consider the material
advantages arising from . knowledge of the
physical forms of our neighborhood, it would
seem that we should hardly go out from home
to study this science, until we have at least
gained general knowledge of what is here
around u.s. Let us then engage our attention
for short time, in considering, the physical
forms Of CDR own neighborliood-o our own
county And in doing SO no doubt we will
find an advantage in commencing with the
general forms and descend to the special; or,
in other words, with those bold and rough,
and apparently less useful, and descend to
those more Harmonious. and apparently more
valuable.
If there is any one condition that renders
land less valuable and less desirable than any
other, that condition is horizontality, or the
condition of being level. At first thought,
this may not seem true. But suppose our en-
tire country was plain--an even, level surface,
with no burrows, or bitches for drainage, no
hills to give slopes and make water courses,
the water falling upon this whole region, du-
ring the long rains of winter and spring, be-
ing absorbed by the soil until it was surcharg-
ed, would then form a sheet like a great lake,
covering the whole housekeeping out our
most valuable plants, and destroying all our
most valuable animals. During the dry sea-
son of summer this water would probably
cvaporate, leaving the soil in the condition Of
an immense mud-fat, which would soon be
furrowed in every direction by huge cracks
from waste of moisture, and continuing to
grow dryer and dryer, it would soon be in the
condition of bricls,intil again the fall of rain
would charge it with moisture, when again
it would assume the appearance of lagoon
We see under such condition that boys and
ruslies, would be the herbagc of our district !;
that the culture of corn, wheat, and oats,
would be blotted out; that our dwellings wouli
be destroyed--or rather that it would have
never been scttled-and it would have been
known as the great swamp or morrass. In
deed, lust such regions exist, and they arc
looked upon as the nearest worthless OF all the
districts of the earth.
But our district is more favored here hills
and daes alternate, in the most fortunate ana
in the most beautiful manner. Slopes and
streams are everywhere found springs are
permanent, pools are few, and large Hats are
nowhere seen. The hills are moderate ana
regular in their elevation the valleys long and
marrow s thc Streams small and gentlo IN their
flow. Here all things conspire to make the
ground susceptible of tillagc.
In describing the reliefs of our locality, let
us first consider that elevation lying on the
south known as the Sourland Mountain~-ex-
tend;no almost northeast and southwest from
the Delaware at Wells Falls, to Lamington,
IN soroaesrset county hasi1g a|lenHhs accord
ling to Cooks report, Of about seventeen
miles, and an average breadth on the top OF
two miles. This ridge rises up to almost the
same level at each extremity, and from these
points toward each other It slopes in the
course of its trend till at Rocktown it reaches
its lowest level.
Goat-Hill, the western culminous, attains a
heigist above the ocean Of 491s feet On the
west side its escafpment is precipitous to the
water of the canal, 432 feet below its summit.
Toward the northeast it slopes off gracefully
so that within the distance of a mile from its
most elevated point the ridge is about $50 #.
in altitude, gradually sloping in the line of its
trend till at Rocktown, in the road that leads
from Ringoes TO Trenton, it reaches the ati-
tude of 31B IT. From this point It gradually
rises in the course of its trend to its eastern
culminous which has an altitude Of 406 #.
above the level Of the sea. Along its course
it rises up into cminences, or peaks, which,
viewed from distance, towards tho north,
west, or east, seem to be elevated very mitch
above the average crest Of the ridge but an
accurate measurcment shows, that they over
look the ridge only by the altitude 'ofa few
feet. For instance Fishers peak, which is a
conspicuous object in the southwestern hori-
szor. for niles around and by, many was be-
|Alieyed to be the highest point Of this range
has an altitude Of, only .3S5 fleets and the peak
in s. w. Diitss Woods, n mile eat of Rock
town, although it is conspicuous for great
distance has an elevation of only $40 feet
The reasons that these points catch the eye
when ranged along the course Of the noun
tain are first, their position upon the north