West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-05-25
THE SOILS FORMED UPON OUR
DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL
FORMATIONS.
An Able and Interesting Article
From the Scientific PEN OF Prof.
). II. Brown, of the West
Virginia University.

keeping pace with the progress
made in some Of the other arts of
practical life, nevertheless the agri-
culturIst is bestirring himself and
beginning to ask what the various
sciences that have done so much for
ether pursuits in life can do for
him. Geology that for century
and more has Leen of such great
value to the mining engineer, to
che civil engineer, to the sanitary
engineer, to the chem st aud to the
architect, is beginning to be recog-
nized also in its correct relations to
the business of the farmer.
In the earlier years OF anew State
while its virgin soil produces such
an oxhuherance of crops, it is
hardly reallzed that this happy con-
dition OF affairs will not always con-
tinue. Every garden is one of
natures chemical laboratories. But
even ma mr. chemists cannot work
without materials. Now, as the
surface materials are being con-
stantly exhausted, it is necessary
for new soil to be made by the slow
disintegration of the rocks, the
shales and the clays.
The geologicallsub structure then
furnishes the soil Of each field.
The soil of our wide. fht-topped
hills is formed by the freezing and
thawing and dissolving Of tie rocks
that make the hills, together with
the decay of the leaves, the logs
and other vegetable material. This
decomposition of the coarse mater
ial is FASTENED by the action of roots
creeping into it, by the acids from
Che decaying plants dissolving its
soluble parts and at last is still
more finely comminuted by wood
worms and earth worms grinding it
up ready for the use of the plants.
A soil produced in snch manner
is d soil of disinfsgratioa, and is
usually not far distant from the
parent rock that yielded 1t.
The soil along our river valleys
and creek bottoms" has been car
Tied there from anywhere within
the basin of the stream, and is con-
sequently mixture of whatever
beds outcrop in its basin. Such a
soil is called soil offransportotion,
and from it's depth and variety of
materials is less liable to rapid
exhaustion than a soil OF disintegra-
ton, such as is formed on the hill
tops.
Now, with the exception of
small amount Of soil brought into
the State from the head of New
River, and of slight fringe along
the Ohio brought from Ohio and
Pennsylvania, all the soils of the
state, both soiI of disintegration
and soils Of transportation, are
from rocks native to our State.
Hence, whatever soil has been ex.
hausted can be repaired from mater
ILLS close at hand in each neighbor.
hood. West Virginia has none Of
the soils of transportation which
the great ice sheet brought over the
States to the north and northwest
ofus. Nor have VIC any Of the dry,
erumbling soil which 70 usually 80
fertile, that comes from the decay
Of the traps and other volcanic
rocks, nor any Of the mari beds 30
valuable along the coasts Of Vir-
GINA aud New Jersey.
OR soils arc al native and come
from native rocks which are lime
stones, sandstones and various
admixtures Of shales and claws
forming respectively csIoareous
soils, sandy soils, elayey soils and
oams.
Nov, the availability Of land for
farming depends npon two factoYs.
1T quality Of soil 2nd, topogra-
ply. As we have shown that kind
Of soil depends intimately upon the
kind Of underlying rock in eaen
locality, SO We also can show chat
tie topography depends quite "a
intimately upon the structure and
direction that each geological for.
nation has assumed IN each local.
ny.
IN sltitode, West Virginia varies
from 800 feet to $500 feet above
ibe sea. the surface d The eastern
half being composed Of somewba,