522 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[September 



For the Southern Planter. 



Notes of the Cane-Brake Lands— or the 

 Cretaceous Calcereous Region of Ala- 

 bama. 



BY EDMUND RUFFIN. 



{Concluded from the Jlngust Number.') 



The contrast of the constitution of these 

 soils, with nearly all of those of the natural 

 soils of the. Atlantic tide-water region is very 

 great. In the latter, there would be no carbon- 

 ate of lime — rarely (even in the richer soils) 

 more than 5 per cent, of vegetable matter — or 



20 per cent, of pure clay, (of which the larger 

 portion is silex in combination) — and usu- 

 ally from 75 to 85 per cent, (and sometimes 

 more than 90) of pure sand, and much of it 

 coarse.* 



One of the remarkable agricultural con- 

 ditions of this region, is caused by the im- 

 mense number of crayfishes, and their ope- 

 rations. These little animals, in lower Vir- 

 ginia, are sometimes inhabitants of the wa- 

 ter, for months together, in springs and the 

 deeper water of rivers; and at other times, or 

 seasons, are, as here, solitary inhabitants of 



* I will here add such analyses of the "rotten 

 lime-stone " or marl of this region, as are given 

 in Prof. Tuomey's Reports. The first one seems 

 to be stated as an average ordinary sample of 

 the calcareous cretaceous rock, or marl: (1st 

 Report, p. 135.) 



" Carbonate of lime, - - 42.25 



Silica, .... 23.00 



Alumina and oxide of iron, - 31.00 



Phosphate of iron, - - - .05 



99.30" 



Prof. Tuorney had previously said : u The most 

 striking feature in the rocks under consideration 

 is the extraordinary uniformity of their mineral 

 composition. I have traced them over a dis- 

 tance of 150 miles, and the only important 

 change that I can discover in the calcareous 

 beds, is the occasional predominance of lime in 

 some of them over others." 



The next analyses of specimens of lower or 

 firm mirl, from Macon county, are stated in 2nd 

 Report, pp. 136, 137, and 187 : 





1st. 



2nd. 



3rd. 



4th. 



Carbonate of lime, . 

 Carbonate of magnesia, 



Alumina, ..... 

 Per-oxide of iron, .... 

 Phosphoric acid, .... 

 Insoluble matter, (silicious sand and clay, scales of mica,) 



53.66 

 .97 

 .27 



.22 



44.60 



46.96 

 1.19 

 .78 

 .26 



50.61 



88.82 

 2.18 



| .94 



.23 

 7.20 



51.92 

 .61 



1.60 

 45.71 



99.72 



99.80 



99.37 



99.84 



The next three ate of the "rotten lime-stone " or upper and lighter colored marl — analysed by 

 Prof. J. W. Mallet for Prof. Tuorney. Second Report, pp. 187—190. 



LOCALITIES. 







w 





. . 6 











0) 



M a 







"o 









Cm 



o 











£ 



Caha 



So 



o 







. Q 





" 100 parts consisted of: (Soluble in muriatic acid.) 











Carbonate of lime, 





75.07 



64.37 



80.48 



Carbonate of magnesia, 





.72 



.79 



.53 



Per-oxide of iron, 





1.44 



2.19 



1.24 



Alumina, .... 





.79 



.75 



.98 



Phosphate of lime, 





.4035 



.5432 



.3710 



Silica, ; 





.14 



.059 



.194 



Insoluble in muriatic acid. 











Silica, . . . 





11.99 



19.58 



9.04 



Alumina, .... 





3.38 



3.97 



2.19. 



Per-oxide of iron, . . . 





1.84 



2.49 



1.55 



Lime, ''' 





1.47 



.78 ! 



1.01 



Magnesia, . . ' 







trace. 





Potash, .... 





.0945 



.0410 



.1135 



Water, .... 





2.49 



3.58 



2.22 







99-83 



99.14 



99.92 " 



