THE CULTIVATOR. 
139 
what might be expected from his writings—benevolent, 
enlightened, elevated—yet plain, practical, unassuming. 
His character may well serve as a beacon-light not only 
to farmers, but to men in all conditions of society. With¬ 
out any advantages of early education—debarred even, by 
physical infirmity, from many opportunities which oth¬ 
ers enjoy for self-improvement—he conquered all obsta¬ 
cles by unflinching perseverance in pursuit of knowledge. 
His acquirements as a man of science, evinced by his wri¬ 
tings for literary and scientific journals as well as for the 
4 Cultivator,’ would reflect credit on many who enjoyed 
the advantages of collegiate education. And those ac¬ 
quirements were of the progressive character—every day 
of his useful life being marked not merely by the exer¬ 
cise of his versatile talent on the multifarious objects em¬ 
braced by agriculture and the domestic arts, but by ad¬ 
vancing steadily in the acquisition of knowledge from 
the various departments in the wide range of science. It 
would be sufficient, indeed, to say of him, that, as senior 
editor of the 4 Cultivator,’ he had proved himself every 
way worthy as a successor of the lamented Buel. 
Like Buel, also, Gaylord was cut down in the maturi¬ 
ty of his intellect—in the very field of his fame—cut off 
suddenly, too, as Buel was—precluding even intimate 
friends from the privilege of soothing his dying hours— 
so suddenly was death consequent on the commencement 
of the fatal disease. 
When the President concluded his remarks, of which 
the foregoing is a mere outline, the following preamble 
and resolutions were unanimously adopted: 
Whereas, This meeting of the friends of Agricultural 
improvement have heard with deep regret of the recent 
and sudden death of Willis Gaylord, of Onondaga, senior 
editor of the c Cultivator’—well known to the Agricultu¬ 
ral world for the versatility of his talent as a writer on 
-subjects essential to the interests of Agriculture and the 
Domestic Arts: 
Be it therefore Resolved, That in testimony of respect 
for the memory of this distinguished friend of Agricul¬ 
ture, this meeting do now adjourn; and that copies of 
these resolutions, signed by the officers of this meeting, 
be enclosed to the bereaved family of the lamented dead, 
in testimony of our sympathy in their affliction. 
Resolved also. That these resolutions be published in 
the newspapers, as a mark of respect for the memory of 
the departed. 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
Rnport on the Commencement and Progress of the Agricul¬ 
tural Survey of South Carolina, for 1843, by Edmund 
Ruffin, Agricultural Surveyor of the State. 
South Carolina has at last entered in earnest, as we 
trust, upon the development of her great agricultural 
resources; and one of the first steps was the appointment 
of Mr. Ruffin, well known as the former editor of the 
Farmer’s Register, and the author of the most able work 
on calcareous manures that has yet appeared in any coun¬ 
try, to make an Ag. Survey of the State. He entered upon 
his duties in 1843, and we have his first Report before us 
in a pamphlet of 170 pages. An examination of it, fully 
confirms us in the opinion formed and expressed by us, 
that the selection for surveyor was a most fortunate one. 
The first object of Mr. Ruffin, in entering upon the 
practical part of his office, was to determine the exist¬ 
ence and extent of the calcareous, or marl and limestone 
formation of the State, as upon the presence of calcareous 
manures he considered the improvement of the extensive 
.sandy pine lands of the State to be mainly depending. 
His experience in the use of marl in similar districts in 
Virginia, led him to anticipate similar favorable results 
still further South; and the general sameness of the geo¬ 
logical formations of the whole Atlantic coast south of the 
Delaware, or even the Hudson, induced the belief that 
the marl districts further north, extended to the shores 
of the Gulf, and furnished the means of rendering fertile 
those vast districts of sand which, in the south, have long 
seemed doomed to hopeless sterility. Besides, if Mr. 
Ruffin can be said to have any agricultural hobby, it is 
the overshadowing importance of calcareous manures, in 
any system of cultivation; and the effects he had witnes¬ 
sed in Virginia, would almost justify him in attributinga 
paramount influence to this auxiliary of fertility. 
The extent and magnitude of the marl beds in the low¬ 
er part of the State, and the presence (unsuspected in 
many instances,) of abundance of lime rock in the upper 
districts thus far included in the survey, exceeded the 
most sanguine expectations of Mr. Ruffin. What he has 
termed the “ Great Carolinian Bed,” is a formation of 
great extent, showing itself on the tide waters of most of 
the rivers, and having an unknown thickness. In boring 
for water near the Medical College in Charleston, It was 
penetrated about 340 feet, without any signs of its ter¬ 
mination; and some of the bluffs higher up the river, 
show an exposed perpendicular surface of 60 or 70 feet. 
Of course the greatest facilities are offered for the load¬ 
ing of the marl in boats, or vessels, and transporting it 
to any point wanted. The richness of the marl in calca¬ 
reous matter, is surprising, ranging in the several strata 
from 40 to 94 per cent; the latter only requiring indura¬ 
tion to make excellent limestone. 
Not the least singular feature of the calcareous depos- 
ites of the south, is that called the gigantic oyster bed 
strata, which stretches from Shell Bluff on the Savannah, 
nearly or quite across the State. There are two kinds of 
these mammoth oyster shells, of which specimens were 
collected by Mr. Ruffin; one measuring 8 or 9 inches in 
length by 6 or seven in width; and one 13 or 14 inches 
long, but not more than 3 inches wide. Bartram, who 
visked Shell Bluff in the last cenury, describes some of 
jthe shells as 20 inches long, 8 wide, 4 inches thick, and 
deep enough to receive an ordinary man’s foot. These 
would certainly be respectable oysters, compared with 
the degenerate ones that tantalize oyster eaters in these 
days; but even these, large as they are, would shrink in¬ 
to insignificance placed by the side of the one sent from 
the East Indies, and which forms the baptismal font of 
Notre Dame, in Paris. 
We have not space to follow Mr. Ruffin through his 
statements of the preparation and value of marl; his sug¬ 
gestions as to its use on rice lands, and his account of the 
culture of that important product of Carolina; or his ac¬ 
count of the best methods of burning and using lime. We 
may recur to this part of the report again, and furnish the 
cuts of the lime kiln given by Mr. Ruffin. We again ten¬ 
der our thanks for our copies of this Report, and shall 
look with much interest for those which we understand 
are to follow the present one. 
Observations on Vegetable and Animal Physiology. By 
Wm. L. Wight, M. D., Petersburg, Fa. 
This is a pamphlet on an important subject, and one on 
which much light has within a few years been thrown by 
the advance of chemical science. The object which the. 
writer proposes to himself is “to arrange the phenomena 
which are invariably connected with organization, and 
which are designated by the general term, life.” In do¬ 
ing this, he has endeavored “ 1st, By acautious induction 
to advance to the general principle which controls and 
directs.the series of actions connected with the growth 
and nourishment of plants.” And 2dly, “To show that 
this same law, through the instrumentality of organs and 
agents adapted to each exigency, presides over the high¬ 
er and more complicated phenomena of animal life.” 
This general principle or law, he finds in electro-mag¬ 
netism, and the arguments and facts by which he supports 
his opinions, are worthy of the attention of every inqui¬ 
rer into the operations of nature. The analogies between 
the organization and nutrition of plants and animals, has. 
been too often overlooked, and Liebig has rendered an 
essential service to the cause of science by calling atten¬ 
tion to the matter. The manner in which Dr. W. ex¬ 
plains the action of his governing principle in the pro¬ 
duction or determination of many diseases, shows a care¬ 
ful consideration of the whole ground, and t s worthy a 
philosophic inquirer after truth. The field of investiga 
tion here entered upon is ample, and we trust will not 
want explorers. 
Scotch Guano.—A plentiful deposit of this rich ma 
nure, it is reported, is found on some of the northern is 
lands of Scotland, which will probably supercede that 
hitherto brought from the Pacific. 
