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Scenograpliic Geology Scientific Geology Mineralogy and 

 Economical Geology all constituting in my judgment, an excel- 

 lent and most comprehensive programme : and, perhaps, no better 

 and more methodical table of contents on the Geology of the State 

 could be devised. The contents under the head or title of Sceno- 

 graphicGeology relate to the aspect of the country,Mountains, Hills 

 Watersheds, Valleys, Chasms, Caves, Springs, Streams, Ponds, 

 Lakes, Swamps. On these subjects Professor Thompson has left 

 a few pages in manuscript carefully enveloped as if prepared for 

 the press : but aside from these papers I have been unable to dis- 

 cover many traces of his progress in writing out the proposed 

 work for publication. 



I have deemed it proper and incumbent upon me to allude to 

 these facts in order to present a correct view of the present conr 

 dition of the Geological Survey. Should it be thought advisable 

 to postpone for the present further labors in the department of 

 Botany and Zoology, it seems as if the materials already acquired 

 together with such as may be obtained or prepared at a moderate 

 expense ir ight enable some competent Naturalist to arrange for 

 publication such a final report of the Geological Survey as was 

 originally contemplated by the act of 1844. The expense of such 

 a report would be inconsiderable as compared with the benefits 

 which would accrue, provided the analyses of the different soils 

 of the State were dispensed with. 



With regard to the chemical analyses of soils I would suggest 

 that in order to have them of practical use or of scientific interest 

 they should be made with extreme care and thoroughness and 

 must, of necessity, involve greater expense than their very doubt- 

 ful utility to the agricultural interest of the State would warrant.. 



The agricultural interest of a State is greatly paramount to any 

 other and, in fact, to all other interests combined. " To subdue 

 the earth," to make it perpetually fruitful is the province of agri- 

 culture and he must be a public benefactor who can discover some, 

 special means whereby the farmers of Vermont are enabled to in- 

 crease their profits and diminish their labors, and he is doing the 

 State some service who can induce the farming interest to adopt 

 the best mode of preparing the soil and putting it to the most prof- 

 itable use and to dispose of its products most advantageously to 

 the soil and its owner : for thereby he advances the intelligence. 



