A IS 1) G A U D E N E U ' S J O U II N A L . 



PlIBLISHCI) HV JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH MARKET .STREET, (Aoricui.tub*!. Warehouse.)— T. C. FF.SSENDEN, EDITOR. 



V01„ XV. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 7, 1836. 



NO. 9. 



Hii.iFAX, N. S., Aug. 18, )83C.. 

 To fnc Ltlitor of the JVcw) England Farmer. 



Dear Sir: — At the request of Mr Bosson, I 

 have hastily alteiripted a Hescriptioii of the geo- 

 logical and niineralog'ical properties of Nova 

 Scotia, accompanied with some remarks on the 

 soil, cultivation, and climate of this Province, gath- 

 ered from authenticated information, personal ob- 

 Bervation, and my own feeble ex|>erience, 



E. BoWEiN. 



To the ciiriousand active inquirer for Geological 

 and Mineralogical knowledge, Nova Scotia offers a 

 rich and plentiful field ; although no work* pro- 

 fessing to view this department of scientific re- 

 search ill a'l its minute details, as connected with 

 this Province, has yet appeared, yet, from the spe- 

 cimeis which have been discovered and analyzed, 

 there cannot exist a doubt that lier share in min- 

 eralogical wea'th is remarkably extensive. 



The Geological features of Nova Scotia, may 

 be divided into three classes or districts. The 

 first, embracing the whole Southeast Shore, ex- 

 tending some 10, 20, and even 30 miles inland, is 

 characterized by its comparatively sterile features ; 

 Granite, the oldest of the primitive rocks, here 

 predominates. 



The second, extending inland from the South- 

 ern shore of the Bay of Kundy, and to the South- 

 ward and Eastward of the Basin of Minas, com- 

 prehends the most fertile extent of land in the 

 Province ; clay slate abounds most plentiful in this 

 district. The ihird, comprehending the whole 

 isthmus, from the Basin of Minas and the district 

 of Pictou to the Northwest limits of the Province, 

 is characterized chiefly by red sand stone ; besides 

 these general features I may notice the extensive 

 Coal beds of Pictou and on the Northeast shore of 

 Cai)e Breton. The Sydney Coal field in the lat- 

 ter district is computed at 120 square miles of 

 land, containing valuable workablu veins ofC^oal, 

 of a quality greatly superior to that obtained at 

 Pictou. Gypsum, an article of extensive export 

 to the United States, abounds chiefly neat Wind- 

 sor, on the Shubenaecadie, and in Cape Breton. 

 The grindstones so much esteemed in the United 

 States, under the name of Nova Scotia Blue Grits 

 are obtained from a stratum of sand stone in the 

 coal fields of Cumberland, and about 1,800 tons of 

 these grindstones are annually exported to the 

 United States. 



Its mineralogic-al qualiiies, consist of copper, 

 lead, iron,manj,'anese, and siilphuretof molybdena. 

 Copper is found in small quantities seldom exceed- 

 ing the size of an egg on the northern banks of 

 French river, Waugh's river, and at Tatamagou- 

 che. Rich specimens of grey copper ore, abound 

 upon Carraboo river near Pictou, principally mas- 

 sive ; crystallized specimens are however occa- 



*A publication ia announced as forthcoming from 

 the pen of Dr. Gresncr, an able Geologist of this Pro- 



▼ iDCO. 



sional y met with, one of which, yielded 75 per 

 cent of pure copper ; it is supposed that the small 

 deposits of copper ore found in the above places, 

 are the ramifications of an immense vein of that 

 mineral ; green carbonate of cop|:er occurs also on 

 the French and Waiigh rivers, at Minudie, and 

 Toney's river, at Cariboo, and on the East river of 

 Pictou ; also yellow copper ore and red oxide of 

 copper. 



Of lead, very few ores have yet been found in 

 Nova Scotia; some massive specimens have how- 

 ever been discovered near Guysboroiigh. in the 

 County of Sydney, also in the Isle Madame; the 

 proportion of silver in these ores are considerable, 

 computed at 30 ounces in the ton. 



Of iron ore. Nova Scotia abounds plentifully ; 

 the varieties are clay, iron, stone, Titaniferous ox- 

 ydiilated iron sand, compact red iron ore, brown 

 licEmitite, black hoemitite, red ochre, specula iron 

 ore, bog iron ore, and iron pyrites; — they exist 

 generally in the second District above mentioned. 



Of manganese, it is found in considerable quan. 

 titles in the mountain limestone about Amherst in 

 Cumberland ; its general structure is massive, but 

 occasionally stalactilic and botryoidal, which is al- 

 so found at Cariboo near Pictou. 



Of molybdena, beautiful specimens of stilphu- 

 ret have been found in a phosphoritic rock on the 

 coast of Gabarus Bay, Cape Breton, but has not 

 been discovered in any part of Nova t"'coiia. 



Of the Soil and Cultivation of the Province. — 

 It was estimated in 1822 that the land under culti- 

 vation (exclusive of Cape Breton) was 292 009 

 acres, viz: Peninsula of Halifax 1,020, District of 

 Halifax 13,440, District of Colchester 29,135, I-is- 

 trict of Pictou, 49,181, County of Hants 37,531, 

 County of Kings 34,150, County of .\nnapolis 

 22,174, County of Shelbourn 17,499, of Lunen- 

 burg 13,476, of Queen's 5,630, of Cumberland 

 29,308, and of Sydney 39,465. From that period 

 to the present I think I am within bounds nl rat- 

 ing it at 10,000 more. The upland is generally 

 of a deep rich soil, where it has grown hard wood. 

 Interval oci urs in almost every county in the Pro- 

 vince, generally covered with long natural grass 

 several feet in length, and products grain of all 

 kinds; but much of it yet is in a state of nature. 

 Marshes, when inclosed by dykes, and well drain- 

 ed, are exceedingly fertile, yielding for several 

 years in succession, abundant crops of wheat, and 

 alternate rotations of hay and grain, without the 

 aid of manure ; — the marshes formed by the rivers 

 emptying into the Basin of Minas are very supe- 

 rior to those in the other parts of the Province. 



Tillage is yet in its infancy in Nova Scotia; — 

 grazing may be considered the most predominant 

 system of farming. — During the administration of 

 the Government of this Province under the Earl 

 of Dalhouse great exertions were made to direct 

 the atteatiou of the people to tillage, and it was 

 ascertained that wl.eat was raised with some diffi- 

 culty, being subject to more casualties than either 

 oats, barley, buckwheat, rye, and Indian corn: — 

 on good land the average crop of wheat is from 



18 to 25 bushels, — on interval and dyko much 

 more. 



The climate of this country is so congenial to 

 oats, rye and barley, that they are easily raised, 

 and yield abiimiantly — average crops per acre — 

 oats 25, rye 16, and barley 20 bushels. Indian 

 corn is cxiensively cultivated in the western part ' 

 of this Province; it will produce a fidl crop whet> 

 committed to the ground .so late as the beginniuji; 

 of June, — ihe average crop from an acre of goo'I 

 land is from 25 to 30 bushels. 1 need scarcely 

 notice (it being generally well known) that pota- 

 toes thrive in Nova Scotia better than in any part 

 of America, and although no more productive than 

 in some of ihe United States, are n'ucli superior 

 in quality to any that are raised in this side of 

 the .Atlantic — the average crop an acre is 200 

 bushels. Wheat and oats are generally sown in 

 April, Indian corn between the middle of May an<? 

 middle of June. Barley and buckwheat about the 

 beginning of June, and turnips the first and sec- 

 ond week in July. Mowing may be said to com- 

 mence from the 15th to the end of July ; reaping 

 begins in August and is finished in September. 



During the first settlement of the French in No- 

 va Scotia they planted some clumps of apple tree^ 

 some of which are still in existence, the example 

 was not lost upon the emigrants from New Eng. 

 land who had been accustomed to the enjoyment 

 of fruit, and therefore seldom failed to establish are 

 Orchard wherever they settled. Hants, King;^ 

 and Annapolis counties are parlicularly distin- 

 guished for extensive plantations of thriving and 

 fruitful Apple trees. Our winter fruit challengeB 

 that grown (in the same season) in New York, 

 New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and ordinary care 

 is not even necessary in their culture. Cider 

 forms a considerable export from these counties 

 of very superior quality. Plums, pears, quinces, 

 peaches, and cherries, are found in all };oo(l orch- 

 ards, are nnturalized to the climate and bear abun- 

 dantly. 



The climate of Nova Scotia is remarkably siilii- 

 brioup and conducive to health ; the einigrante 

 from New England arc jiarticularly long lived, » 

 large proportion of them reaching their 80th yeat 

 in the full enjoyment of all their faculties. It ii» 

 difficult to mark with precision the commence- 

 ment of the seasons as in other countries. Win- 

 ter is not iinfrcquently a stranger to us in the month 

 ofMayandihe spring consequently late and ir- 

 regular ; but when vegetation commence it "goes 

 ahead" very rapidly, and in a few days alters the 

 whole face of nature. .About the beginning of 



June the fields afford sufficient food for cattle, 



the heat of summer is generally moderate and reg- 

 ular. In August Southwest winds prevail and 

 are soft and warm ; but the least inclination either 

 to the Northward or Southward of that point 

 changes the weather. 1 he severity of weather 

 seldom occurs before the middle of December anij 

 the earth is generally hound with frost from 

 Christmas to the first of April. 



We are indebted to an able writer (Johis 



