530 



F A R M E 11 S ' REGISTER 



their excess of carbonic acid, (which is very easi- 

 ly effected,) the carbonate oC h'nie held in solu- 

 tion is dropped. It is by this |)rocess, slow and 

 small in each particulur eft'ect as it is, that tiie so- 

 lid limeslone IbunJaiions of mountainous reifjonp, 

 are hollowed out inlo immense caverns, and that 

 all the streams are saturated wiih di-solved car- 

 bonate of lime. And the waste and removal ol 

 this substance (which croes to fertilize other lands) 

 must be enormous, where there exists so much 

 carbonate of lime, in excess beyond nil the wants ol 

 the soil and its vegetable products. But where there 

 isnosuch excess, I believe that the attraction ot'the 

 soil for the lime is stronger than the solvent power 

 of rain-water, and that none is so lost, nnless the 

 soil in a mass be washed away. And with so le- 

 vel a surface, and sandy and open soil and sub-soil, 

 as the sea-islands have, if there could be any car- 

 bonate of lime so dissolved, it could not flow off 

 in the water, but would merely sink into the sand, 

 and thus serve to deepen the leriile portion of the 

 soil. 



Feeling a strong and general interest in the agri- 

 cultural improvement of South Carolina, and es- 

 pecially by the means of the calcareous manures 

 with which the country has been so bountifully 

 supplied by nature, and which areas yet almost en- 

 tirely overlooked and neglected, I should rejoice 

 to aid the excellent objects of your society to pro- 

 mote that best of all possible modes of fe-.rtiliza- 

 tion. It is therefore the more regretted by me, 

 that, in regard to all the information on particular 

 points required of me, mv reply should be neces- 

 earily of so little worth. On the subject generally, 

 perhaps my opinions might be of more value. I 

 therefore beg leave to pre.sent twenty copies of 

 my general work on this subject, the ' Essay on 

 Calcareous Manures,' through you to the Agri- 

 cultural Society of St. John's, Colleton; and ear- 

 nestly hope that this and all other existing sources 

 of information, on that important subject, may be 

 permitted to operate fully for the improvement and 

 profit of South Carolina. 



Respectfully, 



Edmund Ruffin. 



To J. Jenkins IMikfll, ksq. 

 Cor. Sec. ^gr. Soc. of St. John's, Colleton, S. C. 



THE BURNING MOUNTAIN. 



From tlie Lehigh (Pa.) Bulletin. 

 Mt. Vesuviiis, Schuylkill Co., May 31. 



Mr. Editor : — I this morrnng paid a visit to this 

 place, situated about 4 miles N. E. of Minersville, 

 and by road 8 miles liom Pottsville, to see the 

 wonderful effects of a coal mine on fire. Arriving 

 at the loot of the mountain, by the lateral railroad 

 I approached the nnoulh of the mine, from which 

 there issued considerable water, which, to the 

 taste, is highly charged with sulphur, and some 

 iron corroded from the rails, laid in the gangway 

 of the mine, and dejiositing a sediment approach- 

 ing near the color of chrouiic yellow. 



It was at this opening the hre took place in 

 January, 1S3S, caused by the miners having made 

 a fire in the mouth of it, to kee() tlie waters fi-om 

 freezing about the rails, so that they could com- 

 mence their operations early in the spring, which, 

 Jhrough earelessnesa, ignited the propping of the 



gangway, and from which it communicated to the 

 coal dirt, before it was discovered. The miners 

 tfien endeavored toextiniruish it, but it was beyond 

 their power, and after having worked at it two 

 nights and a day, they left it in despair of stopping 

 its ravages, and which it is now impossible to stop. 



Going from thence up the mountain, (which 

 faces the south) about 150 yards, 1 arrived at the 

 first crater, which is in the shape of an inverted 

 eliplical cone, about 40 by 70 leet diameter, and 

 sunk some 15 feet below the surface, in the centre 

 of which, the coal vein or mine is on fire, emoul- 

 deriuL"", as it were, with dirt and stones which have 

 caved in upon it; ihe stones are burnt to apjjcar- 

 ance like lime. The smell of sulphur here is highly 

 perceptible ; from the north end of this crater, 

 there issues a rumbling noise like distant thunder 

 and the heat appears to be intense. About 30 

 li?et hiiiher up tlie mountain, I arrived at another 

 crater, perhaps 30 feet in diameter, which is a 

 chasm apparently about 30 feet deep, with much 

 smoke issuing Irom the connexion with the first 

 crater on its south ; the west side of this chasm 

 is a mass of immense stone, with fire under it as 

 far as the opening exists ; the rumbling noise be- 

 fore mentioned is here more distinct than at the 

 first crater, and the heat greater, both caused, per- 

 haps, by the wind being from the south. The 

 smoke and sulphur on the east side was very 

 annoying to me, and caused me to shift my situa- 

 tion to the west side, passing, lor the purpose, be- 

 tween the first and second crater, over a strip of 

 ground about 30 leet wide ; knowing it to be 

 undermined by fire, and then in full blast, caused 

 me to tread lightly, (such is the effect of habit.) 

 lor fear of breaking it down, whicth had I done, I 

 should have been engulfed in a horrible death. 



Further up the mountain, some 50 leet apart, 

 are thrae more craters, similar to the first in size, 

 but there is no rumbling issued from either of ihenv. 

 There have been others of similar size, which are 

 now filled up, except one which is not more than 

 lour leet in diameter, from which issues steam. 



Upon reaching Ihe extremity of the fire, as far 

 as discernible, I had a lair view of the damages 

 done upon the surface of the hill. For perhaps 

 50 to 60 acres, all vegetation has been destroyed, 

 and the herbage and sprouts are quite red, which 

 have a pretty effect at a distance, but upon the 

 spot the appearance is desolate, not a blade of 

 grass nor a green leaf or twig meets the eye, as 

 lar as the influence underground has acted. 



On my return to New Castle, which is at the 

 west foot of the mountain, I was informed that the 

 mine belonged to Messrs. i^undass, Richards & 

 Co., of Philadelphia, and that the coal vein would 

 average 40 lijet in thickness. Here is material 

 enough in the mountain to burn some years. It ia 

 now proposed to open the vein ai the other end 

 of the mountain, and save as much coal in that 

 way as possible. 



CABBAGF, PLANTS. 



From the Maine Cultivator. 



A sure — but rather troublesome — protection of 



cabbage plants against the grub worm, is to go out 



into the woods and take off lots of strips of birch 



bark liom small trees. These will naturally main- 



