1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



1X79 



Most remarkable in Fredonia, Chautauque 

 county, three milea south of lake Erie, from the 

 bituminous slate under Canadanea Creek. Bub- 

 bles of gas every where rise though the water, 

 and most abundantij' at and below llie bridge. 

 The gas burns with a white flame, tinged with 

 yellow above and with blue below the burner. 



"The illuminating power of this gas and its 

 abundant supply, suggested the idea of its em- 

 ployment in lighting the village. A copious dis- 

 charge of the gas was observed issuing from a 

 fissure in the rock which forms the bed of the creek, 

 which it was thought could be diverted to a bo- 

 ring on the bank. A shaft was accordingly sunk 

 through the slate about twenty-two feel in depth, 

 which occasionally passed through layers of the 

 bituminous substance already described, and the 

 result was, that the gas left the creek and issued 

 through the shaft. By means of a tube, the gas 

 was now conducted to a gasometer, and from 

 Ihence to different parts of the village. The gas- 

 ometer had a capacity of about two hundred and 

 twenty cubic feet, and was usually filled in about 

 fifteen hours, afibrding a sufficient supply of gas 

 for seventy or eighty lights.'" 



Besides the bituminous slate, burning with' a 

 flame like that of the gas, there is an alternating 

 Band-stone, containing every where small cavities 

 filled with petroleum, and giving out a bituminous 

 odor. This liquid substance appears to have been 

 every where originally diflused through both the 

 Blate and sand-stone, and thus to have imparted 

 the peculiar characters. 



Gas appears to be generated and imprisoned 

 below, it rises in the banks when they are bored 

 to the depth of twenty to thirty feet, and it bub- 

 bles up through the water when it is low, but is 

 repressed when its height produces increased hy- 

 drostatic pressure. Many of the wells in Fredo- 

 nia are strongly charged with this gas, and fre- 

 quent disruptions of the strata evince the exertion 

 of an expansive force from below. The strata 

 ofslate and sand-stone are one thousand feet thick. 

 This gas issues at long distances, whose extremes 

 are four hundred miles apart, and from strata from 

 fifteen hundred to 2000 feet thick. It is the opi- 

 nion of Dr. Beck, that this gas does not rise from 

 coal beds, which by the views now entertained of 

 the geological struclure of New York, are exclu 

 ded from its territory. 



THE MARL INDICATOR, NOT A NEW SPECIES. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



To a person who has any skill in the science of 

 botany, or even a taste for it, the introduction of a 

 new plant to his notice is a very welcome treat. 

 A few years ago, when I was leisurely strolling 

 along the banks of the Niagara river, (r-om Lew- 

 iston to the falls, I perceived a beautiful plant in 

 full bloom on the very bank of the precipice. It 

 was entirely new to me, as well as to a gentle- 

 man who was with me, who was a far more ex- 

 perienced botanist than myself Of course, we 

 made no attempt to obtain it ; but its image has 

 revisited me a hundred times since. 



I offer this preface, by way of apology, for 

 adding another notice to the several which have 

 already been presented, of the ''marl indicator." 

 Your correspondent who flirnishcd the description 



at page 456, of the last volume of the Farmers' 

 Register — which is very creditably drawn up, and 

 deficient in only one particular — appears to consi- 

 der it an entirely new species. From its habitat, 

 I had no reason to suppose it would come under 

 my observation ; but as it was intimated, on the 

 authority of Loudon, that there is only one Ame- 

 rican species of veronica, and our books enume- 

 rate as many as ten or twelve, 1 was induced to 

 pursue the subject by sending the description and 

 engraving to some persons who might probably 

 be acquainted with the plant. The result of the 

 inquiry is now given ; and it is interesting to find 

 that though the species extends to other portions 

 of the country, its existence appears to be confined 

 to the lime-stone region. 



That, the "marl indicator" is a veronica, is ob- 

 vious enough ; but there are two species which 

 bear such a strong resemblance to each other, in 

 habits as well as appearance, that there is some 

 difficulty in determinmg between them. An ac- 

 complished lady in Pennsylvania, pronounces it to 

 be veronica anagallis, which Dr. Darlington in 

 his ' Flora Cestrica ' describes as follows: " Stem 

 erect ; leaves amplexicaul, lanceolate, acute, den- 

 ticulate; racemes opposite. Vulgar — water speed- 

 well, long-leaved brooklime. 



" Jioot perennial, with verticals of numerous 

 long capillary radicals at the lower nodes of the 

 stem. Stem 12 to 18 inches high, rather coarse 

 and fleshy, sometimes with a roughish pubescence. 

 Leaves smooth, closely sessde and embracing the 

 stem, narrow lanceolate, 2 to 3 inches long and 

 tapering gradually to a point, sparingly denticu- 

 late, often nearly entire. Racemes mostly oppo- 

 site on stout succulent peduncles; bracts linear 

 lanceolate, as long as the pedicels. Corolla pale 

 blue, with purple stripes. Capsule tumid. Habitat, 

 muddy margins of rivulets. Great Valley, Chester 

 county, Pa., lime-stone region; rare; flowers June 

 to August." 



Theother species is V. beccabunga; and in sup- 

 port of the opinion that the marl mdicator is iden- 

 tical with this plant, 1 quote the words of one of 

 the first botanists in the country. 



"I have looked at the marl indicator , and am 

 rather.inclining to the opinion that it is no other 

 than the American variety o^ veronica beccabunga. 

 This plant is decidedly indigenous, ^rowing in 

 our runs (in the lime-stone region of New York) 

 "wherever the supply of water is constant. * * * 

 pronounced it to be this plant at the first glance. 

 I have, however, compared the drawing with Dr. 

 Darlington's description in his 'Flora Cestrica' (a 

 work remarkable for its accuracy) ; and by copy- 

 ing a part, you will be enabled to judge as well as 

 myself. 'Whole plant glabrous. Root perennial. 

 Leaves often piil>-cordate at base, decurrent on the 

 peiiole, generally acute, lowest ones obtuse. Ra- 

 cemes opposite, erect, long :iri(l slender. Hab. 

 Muddy springs and rivulets. Obs. This plant is 

 somewhat va^riant from the European species of 

 the same name ; the leaves being generally acute, 

 more lanceolate, and more distinctly serrate. The 

 late Mr. Schvveiniiz considered it a distinct species, 

 and named it V. intermedia in 'Silliman's Jour- 

 nal,' though in his herbarium, at the Philadelphia 

 aca(lcmy,"it is labelled V. Americana. It is, how- 

 ever, closely allied to the V. beccabunga of Europe.' 



"Allow me to remark that the specific characters 

 in Loudon are, in very many cases, entirely insuf- 



