598 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 10 



up for use as manure, all decomposing putrescent mat- 

 ters, which now act freely in producing disease, and 

 which produce nothing else. When we recently pub- 

 lished, in this journal, at much length, our views on 

 this subject, we had struck off several hundred extra 

 copies, for gratuitous distribution, and sent one to each 

 of the mayors cf all the considerable towns in the U. 

 States. It would seem that our elforts on that head, 

 ■as in many other attempts to act on the public mind, 

 were totall}' thrown away, and have remained unno- 

 ticed by any of those authorities. We now see some 

 faint prospect that the end proposad, may in Charleston, 

 (as has already been done in Mobile) be produced, in- 

 directly, if not direclly, and in proper mariner for eco- 

 nomy and ed'ect. 



One of the mo?t striking things to remark, in this 



■account, is, tliat in treating of the discovery of so rich 

 ■a material for manure, in a region that may be so much 

 •benefited by its application, neither the editor of the 

 agricultural journal, nor the professor, of chemistry, 

 even so much as allude to the possible uses and value 



• of this calcareous deposite, as manure for the soil. It 

 is for this, its far most profitable use, that the softness 

 of the rock adds to its value. 



[Ed. Far. Reg. 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 



We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of re- 

 cording tlie successful exertions by our city autho- 

 rities, to avail themselves of the <reological re- 

 sources ol our own state. Within u itiw niontlis, 

 many thousands of bushels of shells, which for 

 centuries, for aught we know, have been laying 

 uselessly blanching and undergoing decomposition 

 about our harbor, have, under tlieir orders, been 

 advantageously employed in fiilino; up low places, 

 raising streets, and forming side-walks. This, as 

 may be supposed, has been attended with very 

 considerable expense, as every bushel has cost the 

 council Irom three to four cents, besides the cart- 

 age to the points requiring the shells. 



We are now happy to learn (i-om a correspon- 

 dence between his honor, the mayor,' and Dr. 

 Hume, professor of chemistry, in the Medical 

 College of South Carolina, that an apparently in- 

 exhaustible body of lime-stone, adapted to the 

 permanent improvement of our streets, has been 

 discovered within a very lew miles of this city. 

 As the subject-matter of the mayor's letter may 

 he inl(3rrei) irom the reply by Dr. Hume, we pub- 

 lish only the latter, as affording all the information 

 we possess on this interesting subject, e.xcept that 

 we have learned fiom another source, entitled to 

 ■credit, that the lime-stone has been offered our au- 

 thorities at the low price of %2 50 per ton, deliver- 

 able at any point on the Ashley side of the city. 

 £d. Suit. Jfgrkul. 



November 14fh, 1837. 



Dear Sir — I have received 3'our favor of the 

 13th, accompanying a box, containing specimens 

 of a rock, from Mr. Francis' plantation on Ashley 

 river, which you request me to examine, and re- 

 port upon, relative to its capabilities of improvinc 

 the streets of the city. 



It gives me pleasure to inform you that I have 

 ■devoted myself to the examination of its physical 

 ■and chemical properties, and am prepared to furn- 



ish all the information, which has been suggested 

 by this examination. Simple inspection exhibits 

 the rock to be a concretion of marine shells, most 

 commonly in fi-agmeiits, but many remaining suf- 

 ficiently perfect lor distinct recognition. Scattered 

 throughout the mass, are small Jhigments of 

 quartz, in the form of coarse gravel, distinctly vi- 

 sible to the naked eye, while other fi'agments, still 

 smaller, require the aid of a lens to be seen. The 

 external fiirm of the nodules, for such they appear 

 to be, is various, but in general they possess the 

 irregular surface, which woijld naturally be sup- 

 posed to arise ii'om an airgregaiion of hemisphe- 

 rical bodies, such as shells usurlly are. The in- 

 ternal structure is clearly indicative of its compo- 

 sition. Its cohesion is variable, according to its 

 moisture, I'nr it is apparent that those sjjecimens 

 which were obtained from the bottom of the creek, 

 are softer than those obtained on the surface of ihe 

 dry land. Its hardness is less than marble, but 

 greater than chalk. It is easily broken into fi'ag- 

 ments about the size of the component shells, but 

 it is not easily reduced to an impalpable powder. 

 When submersed in water, it does not ftill to pow- 

 der as the marls commonly do, nor does it become 

 fi'iable by excessive dryness. Chemical examina- 

 tion proves it to be of testaceous origin, for it 

 yields, on analysis, 80 parts of carbonate of lime, 

 20 of silex, (which is mechanically mixed) and a 

 trace of iron and animal matter. 



In answer to your several questions, I bee: leave 

 to reply, that 1 do not consider it to be sufficiently 

 hard and firm, to resist the action of the wheels o( 

 heavily laden vehicles, nor even of lighter ones, 

 when moving rapidly. It will certainly not be du- 

 rable, if used as paving stones, for the percussion 

 of the wheels will soon reduce it to fragments. 1 

 am induced to think that it could be advantage- 

 ously used as a foundation for a road. If defend- 

 ed from the repeated blows and attrition of the 

 wheels, there cannot be a doubt about its fitness 

 and durabilit3'fcr improving the streets. It is cer- 

 tainly able to support the actual weight of the 

 wdieels, but it is too brittle to resist the percussion 

 of the wheels. 



The plan which appears to me to be most pro- 

 per, is, to make a substratum of this limestone, 

 thus securing a solid and unyielding foundation, 

 over which may be placed smaller fiagments of the 

 same, or broken stones of greater hardness, or 

 even shells, taking care in the arrangement of the 

 strata, that the wheels are not permitted to strike 

 directly upon the Ashley river lime- stone. If the 

 surface of the road is level and smooth, percussion 

 cannot take place, and of course comminution of 

 the stone cannot occur, and the road will not be 

 impaired. The principles of McAdam can be 

 fully carried out with this stone, and it will prove 

 beneficial, and the road will be durable, provided 

 care is taken to repair commencing irrcffularities, 

 and removing displaced stones which occasion 

 jolts, and consequently pound the surface in spots, 

 and produce the above mentioned irregularities. 



I should suppose this material to be valuable for 

 filling up holes, occasioned by mud-puddles ; it 

 would consolidate and form a smooth surface, 

 which would not be again dug out in wet weather 

 by the passing wdieels. 



In the emergencies of the city for materials for 

 improving the streets, I cannot but think that this 

 stone will prove highly valuable, and be an acqui- 



