224 GEOLOGICAL RECONNOISSANCE 
its marly shales, is generally black and quite productive for all kinds of 
small grain. Characteristic soils of the latter land were collected from a 
farm belonging to Judge Billingsly. 
The principal growth of timber on the limestone and chert ridges is 
blackjack, blackoak, postoak and hickory, and where the sandstone pre- 
vails, yellow pine. In the prairie-like valleys, besides the tall barren- 
grass, there is an abundant growth of “Rosin weed,” Camphorosma resi- 
nosa (Gray). 
MARION COUNTY. 
In the eastern part of Marion county, there is an alternation of the 
magnesian or lead-bearing rocks of the lower silurian period, with sand- 
stones, and the tops of the highest hills are covered with chert belonging 
to the subcarboniferous rocks, as proved by the characteristic fossils which 
it contains; these are, however, in most instances only casts. A number 
of fine specimens of fossils, found in this chert, were presented to the 
survey by Mr. William Flipping, among which are several crinoides, 
belonging to the genera platycrinus and actinocrinus, also Spirifer stria- 
tus, and a large undescribed nautilus. The light impure limestone 
“ white rock,” with its associate greenish marly shale, is seen over a great 
portion of this county, and forms the substratum to the gently undulating 
tracts of land, known by the name of “Barrens.” The principal of these 
are the Flipping, Rapp, and Talbot barrens. Characteristic soils have 
been collected from the latter, which will give a fair average of this kind 
of laid, It is very black, and in addition to barren grass, supports a luxu- 
riant growth of “Rosin weed,” Camphorosma resinosa (Gray). 
On the immediate bank of White river, in section 28, township 20 north, 
range 15 west, in what is called the Horseshoe bend of the river, a mag- 
nesian limestone, alternating with sandstone, forms a conspicuous bluff; 
in all, some two hundred and fifty feet thick. A number of rock-house 
caves have been formed by the disintegration of the magnesian member 
of this series, in which large quantities of nitre earth have been formed. 
The principal of these caves is known generally as the Bean cave, and 
seems to have been worked in early times, as an old decayed leaching- 
hopper has been found init. A story is related by some of the first <et- 
tlers in the country, that a man of the name of Bean once made nitre at 
this place in partnership with another man, who he is said to have killed 
in a quarrel. This circumstance, it is believed, caused the enterprise to 
be abandoned; and to this day, the cave is known under the name of the 
