FARMERS' REGISTER. 



351 



system, the lands in the sandstone re<iion will be 

 most probably devoied to tlie raising ol' Indian 

 corn, oais and le<runiinous crops. All these crops 

 will, I presume, be easily disposed ol' in li;ediiig 

 liogs, and alier a ideological survey of this com- 

 aiunvvealih, in supplying fro/i smelters and colliers 

 and those coiuiected vvuli tliem, who will consti- 

 tute a considerable population in that part of the 

 stale least lavorable to agricultural purpose? ge- 

 nerally, and to graziers particularly. Although in 

 speaking of Kentucky, we say il is a limeslone 

 country, ihis expression is to be taken with much 

 iiiuiialion. The superficial stratum on which the 

 larmer has to operate, in a large portion of the 

 state, is not calcareous, and if tlie substratum is 

 limestone il is overwhelmed by the delnius of sand- 

 stone and iron ore. It is true, thai the limestone 

 occasionally outcrops among the hills, but it does 

 not give characier to the soil. It is well known 

 thai the nature of the rocks of the country is a 

 sure index of the nature of the soil in a great por- 

 tion tbrnied from them. By determining therelore, 

 the lines ol demaication pursued by the su|)erticial 

 rocks, we have sure iiidicaiions of the nature ol 

 the soil on the lauds below them, except on the al- 

 luvions of the streams. On these we find the dis- 

 integrated materials of the lands Iroin which they 

 fiow mingled with the si one and soil of the imme- 

 diate neighborhood. Thus, on the alluvial bot- 

 toms ot Licking and Kentucky rivers, we find the 

 sand and Iragmeuts of sandstone, iron ore, shale, 

 coal and conglomerate, carried down from the 

 couniit's of PiKe, Estill, Clay, Perry and Floyd, 

 and deposited in the river bottoms in the counnes 

 below, in the soil essentially calcareous, carried 

 from the neigboring lands. The alluvial bottoms, 

 iheretbie, on the streams passing down from the 

 mountainous country of sandstone, iron and coal, 

 through calcareous. lands, lower down, partake ol' 

 the character ol boih regions, \»^hile the bottoms 

 on the smaller streams, not extending into the 

 highlands, are not of so tTiixed a consistence. 

 With the exception of such alluvial lands, the 

 lines of rock enable us to speak wiih sufficient pre- 

 cision of the nature of the soil. In passing Irom 

 Franklort, eastward, between Paris and "Winches- 

 ter, and in the direction of Mount Sterling, we 

 find no rock in place but limestone, intersected by 

 occasional veins of lead ore, and one, I think, of 

 sulphate of barytes, until we gel four or five miles 

 east of Winchester. Here we arrive at the first 

 range of sandstone, alternating with the lime- 

 stone, and this range runs north-east and south- 

 west across from the Kentucky river to Licking, 

 very nearly parallel to the Cumbeiland mouniain, 

 where it constitutes the boundary of Harlan and 

 Floyd counties. Whether it extends further than 

 these streams, or changes its direction beyond 

 them, I do not know from personal observation ; 

 at this line, commences a great change in the soil. 

 Until we arrive at it, the soil may be considered 

 essentially a calcareous and aluminous earth, en- 

 riched by decayed vegetable matter, and colored 

 by oxide of iron. North-eastward and south- 

 westward of this line, lor a lew miles, the soil is of 

 a mixed character, gradually partaking less of lime, 

 and more of sand, till the high hills begin to ap- 

 pear, then the change is complete, the limestone 

 soil being overlaid and deeply covered by the de- 

 bris Irom the sand and ironstone hills, which are 

 flanked by mural escarpments and precipices ol 



considerable height. These alford sublime and 

 picturesque views to men, and places of retreat to 

 bears and wolves. In these hills, are Ibund beds 

 of iron ore, and beneath them, stone coal outcrop- 

 ping in the ravines Irom beneath the shale and 

 sandstone, and indicating their existence for miles 

 below their position, by fragments carried down by 

 the water. Here the blackberry, the hazle and 

 the whortleberry, the ivy or calico-bush, and the 

 kahnia laiiflora usurp the possession of the earth, 

 while the pine, the cedar, and the cypress invade 

 the heavens aiiove, and indicate a change of cli- 

 mate as well as of soil. They all combine to ad- 

 monish the iiinner to respect their natural rights, 

 and wage no unequal war with them for the pos- 

 session of the soil which would but poorly pay the 

 expenses of the conquest. While, to the miner, 

 the mineralogist, and the florist, these hills and 

 precipices and deep ravines oHer the most attrac- 

 tive objects. To the state at large, there is no 

 subject of greater interest, nor one which pro- 

 mises more useful results to her permanent pros- 

 perity, than a ffeolujfical survey of her territory. 



As to the causes which have produced that sur- 

 passingly beautiful and lertile basin of land lying 

 between Licking and Kentucky riveis, of which 

 the sandstone region above Winchester is the up- 

 per boundary, and the hills ol Franklin, Owen, 

 Grant, Scott and Harrison, the lower, we can only 

 conjecture. It has received various names, such 

 as the garden of Kentucky ; the Eikhorn Para- 

 dise, &c. It is the "dark and bloody ground" ibr 

 the possession of which, the Indians so long con- 

 tended with the " Long Knives." It was well 

 worth the winning. For a lairer laml " the sun 

 ne'er shone upon." Its central point of depression 

 has never been ascertained, 1 believe, by survey- 

 or, geologist or engineer. It is drained principally 

 by North and South Eikhorn, which unite a lt3\v 

 miles Irom Franklort, and carry the superfluous 

 water of this basin into Kentucky river. The soil 

 is generally of a dark chocolate color, lighter or 

 rather redder on the higher grounds and darker in 

 the lower, except the mere superficies, which is 

 very dark, in some places black. The causes we 

 shall allude to hereafter. The rock of the sub- 

 stratum, at the distance of from three to ten feet 

 below the surlace, is blue limestone, in horizontal 

 strata, imbedding numberless shells. 



Still lower, we meet with harder limestone, ca- 

 pable of receiving a good polish, called " Kentucky 

 marble," of which tombstones, &c. are made. 

 The rock on the surlace, and interposed among 

 the soil, is apparently newly Ibrmed limestone, 

 containing many shells and petrilaciions. It is of 

 a lighter color, and in much thinner layers than 

 ihe blue limestone. Many specimens bear a 

 strong analogy to the tulij or travertine of Italy. 

 It is veiy friable, and its disintegration by rain and 

 frost is very rapid. In descending hills and ap- 

 proaching the streams we meet with it throughout 

 the whole basin. It ibrms steps and benches across 

 the roads, rendering them bad lor wheel carriages, 

 and rough even to the traveller on horseback. 



Of the forest trees, all of which have been enu- 

 merated and described by others, none in this re-^ 

 gion seem to be very old. There is no " cedar of 

 Lebanon" among them. The sycamore or but- 

 ton wood, poplarj^ (lyriodendron tulipfera,) burr 

 oak, walnut and ash, have attained the greatest 

 size. As all of these are exogenous, consequent- 



