﻿INDIANA. 



INDIANA. 



270 



striking feature in the geology of Indiana ia the large space occupied 

 by the Carboniferous strata. We will however notice the lower 

 formations fii'st. All the strata are Palaeozoic except some diluvial 

 deposits in the northern part of the state, and a few patches of new 

 red sandstone which overlie the coal-measures. Silurian rocks occupy 

 but a comparatively smail area. Along the Ohio, at the southeastern 

 angle of the state, and extending for some distance northward, occur 

 blue lime-tone rooks of the Lower Silurian order, forming a portion of 

 the Silurian bed which belongs chiefly to Ohio and Kentucky. On 

 the west and north they are encircled by strata of cliff limestone, in 

 this part of the Union the characteristic rocks of the Upper Silurian 

 system. Devonian rocks, connected with the beds which extend with 

 few interruptions from Iowa through Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to 

 New York and Pennsylvania, occupy gome of the northern and eastern 

 counties. The upper cliff limestones belong to this series. The 

 Carboniferous strata occupy nearly all the rest of the state. The 

 Lower Carboniferous rocks consist of black bituminous and aluminous 

 slates, which stretch in a narrow band north from New Albany in 

 Floyd county to Decatur, and probably beneath the diluvium much 

 farther north ; of line grained sandstone, forming the Knobs, or low 

 isolated hills of the inner country ; and of the oolitic limestones of 

 Crawford, Orange, Lawrence, Putnam and other counties. These 

 rocks occupy the country between Hi" 30' and 87° W. lou^'., as well as 

 a belt quite across the northern part of the state. The remainder of 

 the state west of 87^ W. long., and up to 37" N. lat., is occupied by 

 the Upper Carboniferous strata, or rocks of the ooal-meiisures, being 

 the eastern side of the great coal basin of Illinois. The freestones of 

 this form«tion, according to Dr. Dale Owen, are soft and fissile, owing 

 to the existence of mica disseminated in layers through their sub- 

 stance, as well as to the liability to decomposition of the ferruginous 

 cement which unites their particles. The clay slates of this formation 

 contain large quantities of iron-ore. la some places new red-sand- 

 stone rocks are said by Dr. Owen to overlie the coal measures. The 

 same authority stataa that a diluvium consisting of deposits of clay, 

 sand, gravel, and boulders, overlies, and in many places covers up, the 

 other formations to a greater or len depU^ particularly in the 

 northern parts of the state. 



Neither of the precious metals occurs in Indiana. "The only 

 metals," says Dr. Owen, " which need be looked for are iron, lead, 

 antimony, manganese, zinc, cobalt, aud possibly some varieties of 

 copper and arsenic ores." Argillaceous iron-ore occurs largely in the 

 clay-slates of the coal-measurea ; bydrated brown oxide of iron has 

 been extensively found near the falls of Kel Kiver, where lai^e 

 smelting-works have been established, and elsewhere also; bog-iron 

 aboundi in many places. Several detached pieces of native copper 

 have been found in the state; but Dr. Dale Owen thinks that ti-um 

 the nature of the ore, its occurring in washed gravels, and only in 

 isolated places, it does not originate in the state. Coal appears likely 

 always to be the most valuable mineral product of Indiaua, aud from 

 its abundance in the western counties, the whole of which are occu- 

 pied by the coal-measures. Dr. Dale anticipates that they will some 

 day become the seats of important manufactures. All the coal found 

 in Indiana is bitumiiioua Salt is obtained in several places where 

 the rocks are of the inferior members of the coal-measures. Sulphate 

 of magnesia (Epsom salts) occurs in various parts. Good building- 

 stone abounds. The oolitic limestones, which occupy a larg^ space, 

 make good building materials ; as do also the encrinitio limestones In 

 the southern part of the state. The fossiliferous limestones of eastern 

 ludi'ina are durable rocks, and some of them afibrd beautiful marbles. 

 The fissile freestones of the coal-measures are too easily acted upon by 

 the atmosphere to form a good building-stone, but there are excellent 

 close-grained sandstones in other formations. Urindstones and whet- 

 stones of very superior quality are obtained and exported, to all parts of 

 the United States, Some of the clay-slates of the carboniferous group 

 make capital fire-bricks ; and some of the clays of the coal-measures 

 are well adapted for the manufacture of stone-ware and gray pottery. 

 In the limestone rocks are numerous caverus. One of great, extent 

 near the Ohio is particularly noted : in it Epsom salts are found in 

 lumps of from one to two pounds weight; a bushel of its earth yields 

 from four to twenty-five pounds of the salt : nitre aud gypsum are 

 found in the same cave. 



Climate, Soil, ProducUom, <tc. — The climate resembles generally 

 that of Illinois, but is somewhat more equable. In the uorthera parts 

 the wiuterx are severe ; in the soutLern they are more genial. Except 

 in the neighbourhood of the wet prairies and swamps the climate is 

 everywhere healthy. 



" The fertihty of the soil of Indiana," says Dr. Owen, " is univer- 

 sally admitted, yet few are aware that it arises mainly from its 

 geological position. It is w> 11 known to geologists that, that s<jil is 

 tile most productive which has been derived from the destruction of 



the greatest variety of different rocks Now Indiana is 



■ituaird near the middle of the great valley of northwestern Ameriai, 

 mad far distant from the primitive r»n>;es of mountains ; and her soil 

 k accordingly formed from the destruction of a vast variety of rocks, 

 both crystalline and sedimentary, which have been minutely divided 

 and intimately blended together by the action of air aud water. It 

 bos all the elements therefore of extraordinary fertility. . . . The 

 ■oil in Crawford, Lawrence, Orange, Monroe, Owen, and Putnam 



[southern and midland] counties, being formed chiefly from the oolitic 

 limestones, has a calcareous character, and is admirably adapted for 

 the growth of grasses. Clay will be found to predominate in the 

 soil of the counties of Floyd, Clark, Scott, Jennings, aud parts of 

 Bartholomew, Decatur, Shelby, Johnson, Mariou, and Hancock 

 [counties lyiug generally in the south-east], because the soil of those 

 counties is underlaid by clay-slate. Hence we find the beech-tree, 

 which delights in a clayey soil, there growing luxuriantly. The 

 soil of Jefferson, Switzerland, Dearboru, liipley, Franklin, Fayette, 

 Union, and parts of Decatur aud Rush [eastern counties], being 

 farmed upon alternating strata of clay aud limestone, must partake 

 chiefly of these two eai-ths. This soil is also well adapted to the 

 growth of grasses. The soil of the north-western counties appears 

 to be a siliceo-calcareous sand, resting upon a clay bottom ; this I 

 conceive to be the reason why it is so much more productive than its 

 external appearance promises." The alluvial tracts along the river 

 courses are remarkably fertile. 



Indiana is very rich in indigenous timber ; all the trees natural to 

 the soil and climate of the whole central region of the United States 

 flourish in it ; and many of the forest-trees, especially the oak, 

 waluut, sycamore, aud poplar, attain a noble size. Oak of various 

 kinds, and beech, are the most prevalent ; but the sugar-ma|ilf, ash, 

 buckeye, hickory, walnut, elm, poplar, sycamore, coffee-tree, cherry, 

 linden, honey-locust, aud hackberry are as widely diffused though le!<8 

 abundant. The chestnut only occurs on the upper course of White 

 Iliver; the black locust is plentiful along the Ohio, but is not found 

 in the interior ; the pine occurs on the Knobs along the Ohio, aud on 

 the sand-hills bordering Lake Michigan ; the tamarack is found only 

 in the swamps of the Kankakee ; the cotton-wood occurs chiefly in 

 the valleys of the southern rivers ; the catalpa, pecan, and cypress 

 along the lower course of the White Iliver. The dogwood, spear, 

 thorn, and hazel are the principal of the smaller trees. In the forests, 

 aud on the borders of the prairies and barrens, are numerous indi- 

 genous fruit-trees, including the pawpaw, plum, cherry, mulberry, 

 crab, &.C. ; and wild grapes, cranberries, gooseberries, blackberries, 

 and strawberries abound. 



The number of farms, the nature and proportion of the products 

 cultivated, &c., will be sufficiently indicated by the following state- 

 ment of the principal results of the iuquiriea made respecting the 

 agricultui'al statistics at the last census. The number of farms under 

 cultivation in Indiana on the 1st of June 1850 was 93,896; the extent 

 of improved land in farms was 3,040,513 acres ; of unimproved, 

 7,746,879 acres. The cash value of farms lyas returned at 130,385,173 

 dollars; of forming implements and machinery, 6,704,444 dollars. 

 The total produce of the principal crops in 1850 was as follows : — 

 Wheat, 0,214,458 bushels; maize, 52,964,363 bushels; rye, 78,792 

 bushel-i; oats, 5,055,014 bushels; barley, 45,483 bushels; buckwheat, 

 149,470 bushels; potatoes, 2,083,337 bushels; sweet potatoes, 

 201,711 bushels; peas and beans, 35,773 bushels; hops, 92,796lbs. ; 

 hay, 403,230 tons; clover seed, 18,320 bushels; other giasa seeds, 

 11,951 bushels; flax, 584,409 lbs. ; flax-oeed, 36,888 buihels; tobacco, 

 l,0i4,6201bs. Of maple sugar 2,921,192 lbs., and 180,325 gallons of 

 molasses, were made: the sugar-cane is not grown. Of wine 14,055 

 gallons were made ; the wiue, a kind of claret, made at the Swiss 

 settlement of Vevay, is considered to be the bett made in the United 

 States. A very lai:ge quantity of hemp is grown aud prepared ; but 

 of Indiana, as of Illinois, the 'Census Report' state.s tiie "returns 

 were so confused, and all other sources of information so vague and 

 indefinite, that it was deemed advisable to strike the item of hemp' 

 from the agricultural tables of the state." Scarcely any cotton is 

 grown. The value of orchard products was 324,940 dollars ; of 

 market-garden products, 72,864 dollars. 



The number of horses in the state in 1850 was 314,299; asses and 

 mules, 6599 ; milch cows, 284,544 ; working oxen, 40,221 ; other 

 cuttle, 389,891; sheep, 1,122,493; swiue, 2,203,776. The value of 

 livestock was 22.478,655 dollars; of animals slaughtered, 6,507,935 

 dollars. The estimated value of poultry was 357,594 dollars. The 

 products of animals were: — iiutter, 12,881,533 lbs.; cheese, 

 624,564 lbs. ; wool, 2,610,287 lbs. ; silk cocoons, 387 lbs. ; beea'-wax 

 and honey, 933,329 lbs. 



Manufactures, Commerce, etc. — The western counties of Indiana are 

 probably destined at some future day to become important manu- 

 facturing districts ; but at present the mauufacturiug capabilities of 

 the state are very imperfectly developed, though cousiderable progress 

 has been aud is coustautly being made. The chief manufacturing 

 towns are Madison, Cauneiton, New Albany, aud Indiuiapolis. At 

 the census of 1850 there were returued as employed in commerce, 

 trade, mauufactiu-es, mechanic arts, aud mining, 45,318 free males 

 over 15 years of age; the number employed in agriculture being 

 163,229, and in labour not agricultural 29,851. The whole number 

 of manufacturing eot iblishmeuis producing to the value of 500 dollars 

 and upwards in 1830 was 4320, of which 2 were cotton factories, 33 

 woollen factories, 19 iron-works, and 338 tanneries : the aggregate 

 capital invested in manufactures was returued at 7,235,220 dollars. 

 The cotton factories employed on an average 38 males aud 57 females, 

 and a capital of 43,000 dollars. The woollen factories employed 

 189 males aud 67 females, aud a capital of 171,345 dollars. The 

 iron-works consisted of 14 for costings, employing 143 hands aud a 



