The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-10-17
FROM A LOCAL GEOLOGIsT
Who gives our Farmers Pointer.

ON the l6, of September. The first point
Of Importance was to picnic, appointed
one year ago, on top of Haystack Noun
tain in the town of Pawlet. Our object
was to examine the mineral outcrop OF
the situation, and at the same time to
see sonN Interesting conhguration said to
exist near the summit.
But to take up the thread of our prac-
tical observations in noting farms and
the geological output in the upper West
tstvof valley, we first notice that ON the
hills and mountain sides are seen the even
present gneiss, mica schist, quartz and
here and there porphyritic trap, all OF
-Azoic formation, the whole surface OF
land covered by drift; the uplands and
hills covered with boulders, large and
small, and still lower down gravel banks
and ridges with now and then sand
bed, then the river bottoms, called allu,
vial flats. The whole upland is covered
by soil of greater or less depth, receiving
its fertility from decayed organic matter
mingled with pulverized mineral sub
stance. Now the soil of this region is
found to be deficient in the alkalies, such
as potassa, lime, soda &c. And the rocks
here from which the supply is derived
contain no more than six or seven pei
cent, and never yield it up until pulver
lied and dissolved, and nature is very
slow in her Celebrations. AS the aka
line element is taken up by all manner o
vegetable growth, it will be seen that the
farm, sooner or later, becomes much ex
hausted. But as farm and forest take W
large percentage. and in some cases al
of the poltasa in the soil, it is returned
by the decaying vegetation. Now as the
crops are taken from the land, and little
or nothing returned Of an organic nature
the land becomes impoverished and tht
agriculturist, thinking to make his fields
productive applies commercial phosphate:
which only seize upon the remaining or
ganic matter in the soil and Dissolve il
with greater rapidity SO that plant growth
| soon completely exhausts the fields. Sc
we will be leaving to our grand childrer
~ deprecated inheritage. Now, as it il
plain, that the ungrazed and uncultivatet
land is constantly gaining in fertility leads
the farmer to enquire, What shall we dc
to redeem our farms from barrenness
Easy enough. Add more organic matter
than you take away by appropriating thu
contents of your swamps and muck beds
prepared and properly mixed with stable
manure and all organic waste from flelC
anE forest. But as we intended only ,
passing notice of the farming in the up
per West River Valley, we will proceed
on our journey across the mountain, ant
as we enter the town of Peru grave
ridge is seen on the farm of Mr.. Rob
bins. Rather uncommon at that elevation
above tide water. Geology at once gives
this answer: An iceberg was stranded
in retiring sea and gravel was driftet
up behind. But we hasten on observing
little else than the continuous unmodifiet
drift with the frequency and size of cratic
boulders dropped here and there from
melting icebergs. The road at the sum
nit passes, for half mile or more, over al
alluvial deposit at the same time argilla
ceous apparently, evidence of prehistoric
submergency, and we glance up pima
Gle to the right and see the evidences o
the impinging waves of an ancient oceal
and the mind seems transfxed as it wer'
| by an arrow from the quiver of superio
intelligence, and we salute those massiv,
boulders as pages from the history of al
earlier period. At this stage of the jour
ney drizzling rain came on making
everything unpleasant Yet we contin
ued the investigation, and short spac
below the Green Mountain house alkaline
spar appears in profusion but befor
reaching the Battenkill river disappear
beneath the finer drift, yet down the New
Ireland road again in places appears il
great abundance. As we descend tn
Green Mountains the outer rim of tn
Hudson river valley, the geological fea
lures change, as well as the scenery
which is unsurpassed in beauty and sub
Unity The range everywhere escarps tt
the west and falls abruptly down facin!
the taconic elevations, which differ il
their physical contour and chemical com
position, being rich in marble and dolo
mitic limestone.
Arriving at fried Barret's, at Manches
ter Center, wet and cold, where we wer
detained by incessant rain from Monda
might to Friday morning and compelled
to abandon our Pawlet journey we turn
ed our attention in another direction
Hearing of the discovery of a new marbl
quarry ON the Dyer farm in the south par
of Manchester, we determined to visit ii
Our kind host drove us out and back il
an uncomfortable rain. At the QUAR-
were found .wo openings, the first yer
near the foot of the slope, the other thir
ty-five rods further up. Entering tn
first excavation, which is slight, no
more than three or four feet in the deer
est part, wonderful sight met our gaze
A beautiful conglomerate of various col
ors-red, White and drab, with variou
tints, the cementing ingrt dent every
where in the greatest profusion. Th
upper opening, where the boring is no'
going on, is blue marble in which the
had gone down 81 feet, the entire dept
of the richest quality, and in places finel
variegated. Pieces of the ore brought u
are eagerly sought as specimens. OF tn
blue we obtained none, but were praser
ted with beautiful piece of conglomel
ate which we brought away, an can b
seen in our cabinet by anyone calling at
MAPLE FARM.
| The Los Angeles Express says