06 
[AsSEIVIg-LT 
Soils. 
The soils of the first geological district present a!nf>ost every va- 
riety found in any part of the State, from sterile sands and barrei> 
rocks, to the richest and most productive alluvions. As we are al-- 
most exclusively dependant upon the soils for the production of 
those articles of food and raiment, necessary to the supply of our 
animal wants, and as the annual products of the soil form the lar- 
gest item in the increasing wealth of the State, it is deemed expe- 
dient to consider this subject with some attention. All the rich- 
est and most densely populated agricultural districts, are on thf? 
transition, secondary, tertiary and alluvial formations. Soils, with 
the exception of those resulting from alluvial drpositions, are deri- 
ved from the disintegration and decomposition of the subjacent ma- 
terials, and they depend in a great degree for their qualities, upon 
their mechanical and chemical constitution; hence, the geology of 
a territory is a necessary prerequisite in estimating the agricultu- 
ral characters and values of its soils. Limestone and slate rocks 
form clayey soils; granite — gravelly or sandy soils, which are 
sometimes sterile, but often productive; gneiss— mica slate, and 
hornblende rocks produce gravelly loams, which are generally fer- 
tile; talcose slate, serpentine and other magnesian rocks— poor soils; 
greenstone, basalt, and most of the trap and volcanic rocks — rich 
and productive loamy soils. These variations are due to two ge- 
neral causes, viz. 
1st. The mechanical texture of soils. 
2d. Their chemical composition. 
1st. The texture of a soil is a character of more importance 
than is commonly supposed. To form a good soil, its texture 
should be such as to retain a suitable quantity of moisture for the 
nourishment of vegetation, and be neither so clayey as to bake and 
crack in the heat of the sun, or heave by the ac4;ion of frost; nor 
so sandy as to become parched, and be mere dust at the depth to 
which the roots of plants penetrate. Argillaceous soils have so 
strong an affinity for water, as to retain a small portion even when 
heated. There should be a sufficient quantity of clay in soils to 
enable them to retain 3 or 4 per cent of water when dry, and to 
convert the other materials into a loam. Perhaps a light loam, 
properly treated, produces the best crops. 
It is also necessary to consider the substratum, in judging of the 
productiveness of any particular soil. If it be clay, or rock with- 
