224 
[Assembly 
is rapidly exhausted of its nutricious matter, and it is left comparatively 
barren; if the agriculturist ceases to apply vegetable and animal mat- 
ter. There remains then but one course, that of supplying directly the 
necessary nutriment- but it is unquestionably better to maintain a suffi- 
ciency of vegetable matter always in the earth, and never suffer a soil 
to be exhausted or worn out by overtaxing its resources. 
HAMILTON COUNTY. 
Without entering into details in relation to the geology of Hamilton 
county, I shall confine my remarks to subjects of a general nature, re- 
serving the more minute relation of its local formations to the future. 
This county is underlaid by primitive rocks, with the exception of a 
narrow strip of the Trenton limestone extending along the Sacanadaga, 
in the town of Wells. This strip is less than one-fourth of a mile 
wide, but may be traced with some interruptions for two or three miles. 
It is a thin stratum, and much broken by partial uplifts. It is filled 
with organic remains common to the Trenton limestone. It is quite an 
important rock to the inhabitants, furnishing a cheap and convenient 
material for lime, and sufficient in quantity for supplying the demands 
for building, and for agricultural purposes. 
The primitive rocks are gneiss, hornblende, primitive limestone and 
serpentine. These are arranged as in other portions of the district. 
Gneiss and hornblende are the predominant rocks, while the limestone 
and serpentine occur in irregular beds, or veins, apparently subordinate 
to the former. I am led to remark in general, that we find no new 
arrangements of mineral matter, or new phenomena as regards position; 
but a continuance or extension of the same as they occur in other por- 
tions of the district, thus showing an uniformity in the operation of the 
laws of nature. 
Hamilton county is as yet a wilderness, and consequently we labor 
under great disadvantages in attempting to explore its mineral riches; 
should it equal, or even exceed, the other counties of the district in 
this respect, a full development of them cannot be expected at present. 
Contrary to the published accounts, and to common opinions, which 
are of course formed principally from those accounts, especially from 
Burr's and Gordon's statistics of this county, I have the pleasure of 
stating that it is far from being that wet^ coldj swampy and barren dis- 
trict which it has been represented to be. The soil is generally strong 
and productive; the mountains are not so elevated and steep but that 
