farmer' S MISCELLANY. 293 



western counties. The opinion of farmers on this point, is founded 

 upon the distribution of the calcareous gravel. As far south, for in- 

 stance, as they find the limestone pebbles, they calculate upon getting 

 good crops of v/heat, especially in the vallies ; but when the lime- 

 stone disappears, they do not expect to get but two or three crops 

 of wheat. Now the reliance upon the limestone pebbles is very well 

 as an indication for wheat land ; nevertheless it is not the presence 

 of limestone that makes these lands thus productive in wheat, but 

 the product of the shales below, which has been carried as far 

 south as these very limestone pebbles of which we are speaking. 

 The gypseous rocks continue from year to year to disintegrate and 

 decompose, and hence are continually furnishing fit matter for the 

 growth of wheat. But again, this soil is also very productive and 

 superior for Indian corn, which grows large, and forms sound grains, 

 from the great abundance of magnesia which, I have no doubt, the 

 soil contains. 



The soil of Onondaga does not pack : it contains, in some places, 

 many cobblestones from the Medina sandstone, interspersed with 

 short broken fragments of the shale which are frequently brought 

 up by the plow ; and thus the nature of the material is such that it 

 does not form a decidedly sliflF clay, but merely an argillaceous soil. 

 In the lower vallies, a stream flows, which is more or less charged 

 with tufa and marl, and this is frequently overlaid with peat. But 

 the quantity of vegetable matter in the soil, in all the farms which 

 have been worked several years, is extremely small. 



There is a conclusion which I will state here, as it was derived 

 from Mr. Geddes : it is this, that soil, which is ploughed and sowed 

 for many years, finally becomes so compact below as to require 

 draining. Mr. Geddes founds his opinion upon the fact, that if you 

 have a space of 5000 feet which you wish to fill with earth, it will 

 require 6000 feet of soil to fill it ; or the same thing is seen in filling 

 post-holes, which receive not only all the earth thrown out, but also 

 the post itself. Stirring the soil, then, makes it lie in less space, or 

 more compactly ; and if there is a tendency originally to the accu- 

 mulation of water, it will require drainage after a time, in order to 

 be productive. 



I shall proceed with this subject in my next. 



Yours, &c. 



