THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 519 



I860.] 



for construction. From the study of such 

 remains the genius of Cuvier opened a new 

 creation. Fragments of bones of extinct 

 animals, that were gazed upon by the curi- 

 ous, and received no other explanation than 

 " lusus naturae," were classified, each bone 

 to its proper place ; and each animal ac- 

 cording to its habits, which were pointed 

 out by its teeth or its osteology, was assign- 

 ed its appropriate position in the gradation 

 of animated nature. Though extinct, their 

 general habits are known as certainly as 

 if they were domesticated under man, 

 and belonged to the present time. Science 

 has placed a wreath around the brow of 

 Cuvier, that will endure to his honour so 

 long as civilization shall be in the ascend- 

 ant. 



The first plaster of Paris used in Amer- 

 ica for fertilization came from the hill .of 

 Montmartre, and was imported under the 

 auspices of Franklin. Above the tertiary 

 formations are others of a much more re- 

 cent date, and now forming under our eyes. 

 Many of these are mainly composed of 

 limestone, made up from the destruction 

 of other calcareous rocks. Along our sea 

 coast such rocks are forming, and even fur- 

 nish building material. Tufaceous depos- 

 its are making in our valleys, by the depo- 

 sition of carbonate of lime from water issu- 

 ing from limestone rocks. Immense beds 

 of shells, such as are living in our waters, 

 are found along our coast. In Prince 

 George's county, Maryland, the marl-beds 

 are well known, and the celebrated lands of 

 that region owe their fertility to these re- 

 mains of a former life. Among these frag- 

 ments, bones and teeth of animals are not 

 uncommon ; and whole skeletons have been 

 disinterred and set up to be wondered at. 

 The remains of the mastodon, (an animal 

 of the elephant tribe, but much more gi- 

 gantic,) are frequently met with, and an 

 almost entire specimen was taken up in the 

 interior of the State of New York. 

 Sharks' teeth are also common, sometimes 

 of enormous size. We have one in our 

 possession, taken from a bed in Prince 

 George's county, that measures about four 

 inches in breadth at its base, and nearly 

 five inches in length. It is in perfect con- 

 dition, its cutting edges as finely and sharp- 

 ly serrated as if just taken from the mon- 

 ster's mouth. 



Nor is the limestone formation of our 

 continent confined to the recent deposits of 



which we have spoken. The blue limestone 

 formation, so celebrated for its excellent 

 wheat lands in Pennsylvania, Maryland and 

 Virginia, continues through Georgia, comes 

 to the surface near Clarksville, in Haber- 

 sham county, and extends to the Island of 

 Cuba, where we have traced it again for 

 miles. 



The limestone lands of the State of New 

 York are celebrated for their fertility, and 

 the magnesian limestone of the great West 

 has prodigious extension. 



In closing our observations upon lime, 

 we will remark that of all mineral substan- 

 ces it is among the most extensively dif- 

 fused, so much so that it would be impossi- 

 ble to find a soil without it. An amateur 

 asked us if we had ever found lime in the 

 soil on which we lived • he thought it ab- 

 sent. We answered that, even if we had 

 failed to detect it with the aid of reagents, 

 there was higher evidence of its presence, 

 which could not be contradicted, namely : 

 the bones of the animals reared upon the 

 place, the eggs of our hens, and th,e houses 

 which snales carry upon their backs. 



Those who desire details upon the green 

 sand marl of New Jersey and Delaware, 

 will do well to consult the reports of Messrs. 

 Rogers and Booth ; the former was charged 

 with the geological survey of New Jersey, 

 the latter with that of Delaware. 



PLASTER, OR GYPSUM. 



It is probable that the marl" of the 

 ancients was plaster of Paris, or gypsum r 

 but it was not until near the close of the 

 last century that its- incontestible utility be- 

 came known \ since that period it has be- 

 come almost a necessity j nor is it surpris- 

 ing that such should be the case, when we 

 consider its efficacy on certain crops, the 

 small amount required to produce a great 

 increase, and the facility with which it can 

 be procured and prepared. The first au- 

 thentic experiments of which we have re- 

 cord were made by a German clergyman, 

 named Meyer. These were repeated in 

 France, when it soon grew into extensive 

 use. Sulphate of lime, as its name indi- 

 cates, is composed of sulphuric acid, lime 

 and water. 



Sulphuric acid, . . . . 46 ) 



Lime, ... . . 33 =,100 



Water, * . . . . . 21 ) 



It is usually soft, and may be scratched 



