STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 127 



period were prpbably the Niagara, a dolomitic limestone ; under this 

 formation the Cincinnati shales, overlaying the Galena, (also a Adamitic 

 limestone.) The glaciers came down from the far northeast, charged 

 with the debris of granite sienite, porphyry, sandstones, clays, etc., 

 reaching the Niagara and Cincinnati shales, they were denuded. Thus 

 charged with new material, the glaciers passed over the great break on to 

 the coal measures, denuding the limestones, sandstones, shales, and 

 clays of the carboniferous formation, it passed on south, distributing its 

 accumulated materials over the underlaying rocks down to the upheaval 

 at Cobden. It is certain that our soils could have been derived but from 

 one of two sources — the drift or the subjacent rocks. That this last was 

 not the source from which our soils in that part of the State laying north 

 of the great break, we offer the following testimony : Prof. Jas. F. W. 

 Johnson, in his lectures on "Agricultural Chemistry," says, in relation to 

 the Magnesian limestone region, in England : "It forms for the most 

 part a hilly country, covered by a reddish brown soil, often thin, light and 

 poor, where it rests upon its native rock.'' (p. 249,) again (p. 270.) In 

 the eastern part of the county the poorest land rests upon this rock. The 

 Magnesian limestone, in many localities, starts up in the form of raised 

 iiills or ridges, on which reposes only a thin, poor soil, formed in a great 

 measure by the rock itself, (p. 266.) Abundant proof has been advanced 

 that a due relation exists generally between the rock and soil upon which 

 it rests ; yet I would be leading you into serious error were I to permit 

 you to suppose that this direct relation is always to be observed ; that in 

 whatever district you may happen to be, you will find the soil taking its 

 character from the subjacent rock, and where similar rocks occur, similar 

 soils are always to be expected. On the contrary, in very many locations 

 the soil is totally different from that which would be produced by the 

 de^adation or decomposition of the rock upon which it rests. The pre- 

 vainng limestone in the region under consideration is the Niagara, a 

 dolomite, or Magnesian limestone, as the following analysis, made by 

 Prof. D. Owen, will show : 



MAGNESIAN LIMESTONE — OWEN. 



Carbonate of Lime, 47-96 



Carbonate of Magnesia, 43- 00 



Oxide Iron, 2.00 



Silex, ' 3-70 



Carbonate of Soda, 70 



Water and loss, 2.64 



Total, 100.00 



But there is from sixty to one hundred feet of Cincinnati shales 

 underlaying the Niagara, and may not the soil have been derived from 

 this source? We think not. Prof. Whitney analyzed these shales to 



