•THE 



AGEICULTUIIAL MUSEUM. 



OMiNIS FEUET OMNIA TELLUS. VIRG. 



Vol. I] Georgetown, Ca. May 22. (No. 23.] 



For the Agricultural Muicuni. 



5-;5v »>^ <«< ««. 



Lucubrations on Soils No. 5. 



In the rorogoint»- cursor}' observations upon tl:e suR- 

 ject of soils ill general, ue lui\ e \\ ilhout much loss of 

 lime, Iravellefl from the Sca-boatd to the Glades on the 

 top of the mountains, and with a bird-eye view, vvc have 

 -traced the ridges and mounds, and a few of the most 

 conspicuous, and strongest lines, or natural boundaries, 

 which iioiit the prmcipal regions of soil. I pretend 

 not to a thorough or scientific knovvlcd^xe of the sub. 

 ject , my ohjcct is to invite and point out the \^'ay to 

 proper aiid useful i-etlections on a su!ij>-ct the most im- 

 portant to ma'ikind. The descriptions given, arc such 

 as wil! apply to the formation of lat)ds in all parts of the 

 globe Yet, the foi-egoing observations refer principal- 

 ly to all that portion of land w'lich lies betsveen the 

 mouths of tlie rivers emptying into the Chesapeake bay, 

 and their sources at the loot of tlie Allegahany. \Ye 

 have shewed in what manner, the rivers and waters by 

 their perpetual action, and tlie great laws of composi- 

 tion, vegetation and decomposition, aftinity and gravitati- 

 on have foi'med, and are unceasingly changing and ma- 

 king land, and that time is the great executor of all 

 these laws. Although these great principles are so 

 very gradual and slow in tlieir operation, that the span 

 of a man's li;e, are to the great works oi nature, only 

 as an hour — yet, I thought it necessary, before I intro ■ 

 duccd the dissertation and analysis of the chymist^ 



