610 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



Rhode Island hardly finding a market at any 

 price. Most of the Pennsylvania lime contains 

 magnesia, and yet celebrated as is the Philadel- 

 phia mortar for whiteness and durability, and as 

 are the finelarms of Chester and Lancaster coun- 

 ties, which are enriched almost entirely by liriie, 

 there is a universal prejudice against magnesian 

 limeslones. But this cannot last ; and now that 

 the Tide- water canal is opened, the Susquehannah 

 river lime must soon rival that from Thomaston 

 in our southern ports ; the home-made lime 

 must here come into extensive use, though pre- 

 judice and a want of enterprise may long keep it 

 unused and unknown. This rock belongs to the 

 same formation, and precisely resembles much 

 of that "Which 1 have seen in the western part of 

 New Jersey. Its composition is no doubt the 

 .same, and this is seen in Prof. Rogers' Geologi- 

 cal Report of that slate, to vary as to the propor- 

 tion of carbonate of lime from seventy-live to 

 eighty-eight per cent., the residue being chiefly 

 silica, with a very small amount of carb. m^igiie- 

 sia, iron and alumina. This too corresponds with 

 the analysis given above of the limestone I'rom 

 Jones county, N. C. The silica is the least in- 

 jurious ingredient, its principal effect being, unless 

 the roek is burned at too intense a heat, merely to 

 render less sand necessary in tempering ii for mor- 

 tar, while the magnesia is not only of small quan- 

 tity but doubtful tendency, and the oxide of iron is 

 generally in loo minute proportion lo seriously in- 

 jure the lime by giving it a very dark color. 



Besides the lime that will herealter add to the 

 mineral wealth of this region, there is near Poca- 

 taligo, on navigable tide water, a deposite of the 

 purest quality of quar'z sand, suitable ibr the 

 manufacture of glass. The pebbles of which it 

 consists are small, sharp, angular (ragmenis of per- 

 fectly pure quartz without any foreign mixture. 

 It may be obtained in any quantity, and would 

 probably pay for transportation as ballast under 

 the cotton loads, either to the northern glass-houses 

 or across the ocean. The locality is just halfway 

 between Charleston and Savannah, by the turn- 

 pike, on Mr. Spike's plantation. 



There is one more locality of the secondary 

 limestone I visited, which is near the Savannah 

 river, in Georgia, at a place called Jacksonboro'. 

 The perfect similarity of the rock with that in 

 Jones county, North Carolina, and on the Santee 

 and Edisto in South Carolina, admits of no doubt 

 that it is the same with them, and continuous 

 through this wide extent of country. Even to 

 the straw color of the rock, the brooks flowing out 

 at its base, the lukewarm water, and the little 

 shells that inhabit it, they are all nearly alike. 

 This has been partially quarried, and the limestone 

 burned. On opej:iing the bed it is found to be 

 about twelve feet thick, and within from the sur- 

 fiice, the stone is of a much whiter color, closely 

 resembling chalk, and appearing as if it had alrea- 

 dy been burned. The heanol'rock in a hot south- 

 ern sun presents so dazzling an appearance that 

 one's eyes and head seriously suffer from closely 

 examining the pieces. They contain a great 

 variety of fossil shells, affording most beautiful 

 specimens ; but I have not succeeded in obtaining 

 those I collected. A rude kiln has been construct- 

 ed of the coarse sandstone belonging to the same 

 formation, and a considerable quantity of lime 

 made. It is very white and good lime, such pro- 



bably as the other localities described would af- 

 ford, if worked as extensively. It is packed in 

 boxes, which hold about three bushels, and these 

 are sold along the river at the same price as a 

 cask of Thomaston lime, three dollars ! The 

 locality is probably injudiciously selected as it is 

 eight miles from the river, up a little stream called 

 Brier's creek, which is navigable Ibr boats and 

 rafts but a short time in the year, while the same 

 bed might no doubt be found and opened on the 

 river. 



The inferior limestone at Shell Bluff belo'ngs fo 

 a higher formation, and cannot be so important, 

 though here too a great deal of cheap hme might 

 be made from the rOck and the tojsil Ostrea. 

 The specimens 1 collected at Shell Bluff, and on 

 which 1 depended to describe the locality, having 

 been lost, I will attempt no account of it, as it 

 could now be only a repetition of what others 

 have said. 



CULTURE OF THE SWEET POTATO. 



From tlie Soiitliern Agriculturist. 



It is the rule of the Beaufort Agricultural So- 

 ciety, to appoint at each meeting, a subject 

 for conversation and discussion at the subsequent 

 one — and the " best mode of planting, cultivat- 

 ing, digging in, and preserving the sweet pota- 

 to," having been under consideration at the meet- 

 ing held on the 21st August, the foHowing 

 may be set down as the results of their consulta- 

 tion. 



It was the opinion of a majority of the mem- 

 bers present, derived from actual experiment, that 

 the sweet potato should be planted whole, instead 

 of the seed potatoes being cut, as is commonly 

 done in this section of country — that, besides yield- 

 ing as much when planted whole, this method has 

 the advantage of giving a certain stand, more 

 vigorous growth, and earlier vines. It was fur- 

 ther the opinion of one experienced member, that 

 potatoes planted whole and covered deep — say 

 five inchec — would grow well, and be secure 

 against crows ; he pursued this plan, and put out 

 no field minders. 



The best method of preparing the soil, was by 

 passing a cow-pen over the land, six months or 

 more beibre the time of planting. The ground 

 was to be listed soon after the pens were removed 

 — to be banked heavily when planted, and the 

 seed inserted deep— say four or five inches in the 

 bank. Early in March was the time decided on 

 by the majority, as the most suitable for planting 

 — and it was held judicious culture, to shave off 

 the tops of the beds by a sharp hoe, as soon as the 

 early shoots were making their appearance. 



Wiih respect to the important siSbjecl ofpreserra- 

 tion, ihere were advocates for each of the plans 

 usually resorted to, but the majority were in favor 

 of the bank in j^reference to the potato cellar. It 

 appeared, however, that with care, the potatoes 

 might be perfectly well preserved in either mode. 

 If iu banks, not more than thirty bushels were to 

 be put into each bank, they were to be covered 

 with corn-stalks in preference to pine-trash, and a 

 stake was to be placed in the centre of the bank, 

 which being wiihdrawn afier some days, left an 

 opening for ventilation. The orifice was to be 



