EXPERIMENT STATION. 59 



655 is said to be situated about two and a half miles from Wil- 

 limantic and to occur in layers that in the aggregate amount to 

 three feet in thickness. It burns and slacks like common lime- 

 stone. It contains in round numbers, 40 per cent, of carbonates 

 of lime and magnesia. 



The sample analyzed was from a loose fragment believed by 

 Mr. Bill to be identical with the i-ock of the ledge. 



Very probably the impure lime obtained by burning this rock 

 may be of great advantage if skillfully employed upon the con- 

 tiguous farms. 



The analyses A, B and C above given were made by Dr. 

 Jenkins in 1873 and are copied from the writer's note books as a 

 useful contribution to the knowledge of our agricultural raw 

 materials. 



A is the " Limestone" occurring in Woodbridge, a few miles 

 west of New Haven. It was some years ago burned for making 

 " hydraulic cement" or " water lime," but the manufacture was 

 shortly abandoned. Portions of the rock which have long been 

 exposed well illustrate the process of " weathering" whereby 

 rocks are transformed into soil. In some cases the carbonates of 

 lime and magnesia have been dissolved out for a depth of several 

 inches, leaving the comparatively insoluble silica and silicates as a 

 rough porous coating which is dark in color, owing to the con- 

 version of the iron originally present in white carbonate or pale 

 green silicate to the brown hydrated peroxide. This rock con- 

 tains a large proportion of carbonates of lime and magnesia and 

 one per cent, of alkalies, including 0*-3 of potash. 



B and C were samples of rock from the farm of David J. 

 Stiles of Southbury. The former is a hard compact " Limestone," 

 the latter a soft shale or slaty I'ock, easily broken up by action of 

 the weather. These rocks are from or near the well-known local- 

 ity "where fossil fish have been found. They contain notable 

 quantities of phosphoric acid and half a per cent, of potash. 

 These rocks if pulverized would act as fertilizers on most poor 

 soils, and under favorable circumstances some of them may per- 

 haps yield a profit by such application. Soils which have been 

 formed and are still forming by the decay of these rocks ai'e, it is 

 to be presumed, amply stocked with lime, magnesia, potash and 

 phosphoric acid or such of these bodies as are abundantly indi- 

 cated by the analyses. Investigation of the composition of our 

 rocks may evidently furnish useful hints to the thoughtful agri- 

 culturist. 



