No. fi. DEPARTMENT <>F AfJR ICUI/II ' R K «f,fc 



REPORT OF THE GEOLOGIST. NO. 2. 



BY W. H. Stout. Pinegrore. Pa. 



The subject of Geology has received but little attention in its 

 relation to agriculture, being principally confined to investigations 

 relating to minerals and metals. Recently the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture commenced a soil survey which may lead to 

 valuable results in designating the various formations and their 

 adaptability to different crops, besides giving more prominence to a 

 much neglected study. The true basis of agriculture, the soil, be- 

 ing of first importance, of which Agricultural Geology deserves 

 fully as much consideration as any of the sciences relating to art. 



Also from a hygienic point the subject merits careful study, and 

 the longer a community has occupied a locality the more are the 

 dangers from contamination increased from surroundings, saturated 

 with the waste and decay, finding its way into the water supply, re- 

 sulting in disease. This fact emphasizes the necessity for a better 

 knowledge of the trend and dip of the rock formation wherever wells 

 and springs are used for household purposes. 



This State contains a great variety of soils, from the Azoic or 

 primary system up, embracing Alluvian and drift. The mountains 

 in the State have a X. E.-S. W. course, and in traveling in any of 

 the numerous valleys, the same formations continue long distances 

 and practically contain the same characteristics; but in passing from 

 the southern border to the line of New York the numerous forma- 

 tions are passed over with the rocks found at all angles to a horizon- 

 tal position. 



The classification adopted by the most distinguished Geologists 

 are various and confusing to the layman or non-scientist. They give 

 us the Paleontological, the United States system of Rogers; New 

 York State; Ansted; Lyell; Mantel and Buckland; Dana and others. 

 Those who read the Pennsylvania Geological reports have the same 

 as adopted by New York State and are perhaps the most familiar 

 to us* 



Starting from the Delaware River and crossing Delaware county, 

 we would have the alluvial or river mud, gravel and clay, trap, ser- 

 pentine, Chestnut Hill schists, mica scists and gniess; South Val- 

 ley hill slate and the Laurentian Syenite and granite. 



Next north comes Montgomery with much the same, and addi- 

 tional, the new red or Triassic and Limestone. Entering Lehigh 

 we find, in addition, the Potsdam sandstone; Hudson river sl'ate; 

 Utica shale with Medina and Oneida of the Blue ridge, also the shaly 

 limestone used in making cement. 



Crossing to Carbon, the entire Devonian and Carboniferous sys- 

 tems occur, divided into the Clinton red shale; lower Helderburg 

 Lime, Oriskany sandstone; Marcellus black shale; Hamilton, Gene 



