ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. 125 



Maurice River Cove. On some of the fields, it has been 

 observed that the soil was mixed with great quantities of 

 shells, probably left there by the Indians. The soil in 

 these spots is always good. 



Shells may be used to improve the soil, in their natural 

 state ; and by applying them in large quantities, they will 

 be found beneficial. They may, however, be used with 

 better economy, by grinding them in an iron mill, or under 

 an edge mill. The most common way of using them is 

 to burn them into quick lime. This is best done in kilns 

 constructed for the purpose ; but for agricultural use, it is 

 very frequently more convenient to burn them in a pile 

 with wood. By constructing a hollow square of logs, and 

 filling it with alternate layers of wood, brush, or chips, and 

 shells, and then firing the pile, the shells will be burned 

 into lime. If too little wood is used, they will only scale 

 and crack in pieces; but if a sufficiency is used, they will 

 slake into a fine powder. A large portion of the supply 

 of lime for the county might be obtained in this way, at 

 a cheap rate. The mode of using lime, its efiect upon the 

 soil, and its great importance in good husbandry, are too 

 well known to need repeating here. 



BUILDING MATERIALS. 

 Clay suitable for making bricks is found in some places, 

 but it is not abundant. A thin streak of tough, light blue 

 clay can be seen near the edge of the water, at Beesley's 

 Point, which would make bricks ; but it does not promise 

 to be sufficiently abundant to pay for working. The same 

 layer can be traced further up Great Egg Harbor and 



