NORTH-CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



43 



expensive in a country abounding in wood, it becomes quit 

 plain that all such mills should be suffered to go down and 

 their places supplied by the much more efficient steam mills. 

 The soil taken from the bank of a ditch is of a dark drab 

 or purplish gray. It coheres strongly on drying and loses 

 most of its water. It is gritty to the feel and is composed of 

 moderately fine quartz and clay. On submitting it to analy- 

 sis I found it composed of 



Silex, 83.00 



Organic matter, 21.20 



Peroxide iron and alumina, 7.40 



Lime, trace, 



Magnesia, trace, 



Potash and soda, undetermined, 



Water, , 3.20 



The lime and magnesia were scarcely perceptible. It re- 

 sembles in appearance and composition the poorer gallberry 

 lands, though it is probably better than many. If a soil of 

 this description was to be put under cultivation it would re- 

 quire steady and constant marling. It forms a good subsoil 

 in one respect, that of being impervious and capable of hold^- 

 ing manures. It unlies the cultivable soil iof the swamp 

 lands in this neighborhood. The soil taken from the Bruns- 

 wick swamp is brown or brownish ; contains undecomposed 

 twigs, bark, &c., but on drying forms a firm mass and con- 

 tains a sufficiency of earthy matter. It is not unlike much 

 of the soil of Hyde county, and it appears that it has been 

 heavily timbered. I found it composed of 



Silex, . . , , 45.470 



Water, 8.000 



Organic matter, 34.000 



Peroxide of iron and alumina, 10.490 



Lime, 0.490 



Magnesia, , 0.060 



Potash, 0.581 



Soda, 0.326 



Soluble silica, 0.580 



This soil possesses a]l the good qualities of the Hyde county 

 soils. It absorbs and retains water strongly. The mass of 



