NJDEP - NJGS - First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of the ...
NJDEP - NJGS - First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of the ...
NJDEP - NJGS - First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of the ...
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11It is in consequence <strong>of</strong> such transformations that soils areformed <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> deb_ <strong>of</strong> rocks, from which' plants receive <strong>the</strong>irsustenance; consequently <strong>the</strong> chemical character <strong>of</strong> soils partakesmore or less <strong>of</strong> that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rocks from which <strong>the</strong>y arederived. There are o<strong>the</strong>r causes too_ which tend to modify<strong>the</strong> composition <strong>of</strong> soils in particular localities, as <strong>the</strong> occurfence<strong>of</strong> drift_ disintegration <strong>of</strong> bowlders, presence <strong>of</strong> organicmatterj &c. When all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se circumstances arc taken intoconsideration, <strong>the</strong> general properties <strong>of</strong> soils al_ known withoutsubjecting <strong>the</strong>m to minuto chemical examinations. The decompositionand disintegration <strong>of</strong> rocks by chemical agenciesis a subject <strong>of</strong> great importance in rural economy, and onewhich should receive careful investigation. It has an importantpractical application in a variety <strong>of</strong> ways. It teaches<strong>the</strong> distinctive properties <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> soil, to what kind <strong>of</strong> vcgcta.tion it is adapted, and how it may be improved ei<strong>the</strong>r by cultivationjor by <strong>the</strong> addition <strong>of</strong> foreign substances as fertilizers.It is by investigating <strong>the</strong> laws <strong>of</strong> nature in her varied ehemi. "eel and mechanical changes, that we am enabled to imitate<strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> practical pursuits <strong>of</strong> life_ and make <strong>the</strong>m subservientto our happiness and prosperity.I_ESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC I_VESTIGATION IIq THE STATE AT'1"BE COM_ENCE_fENT OF THE SUI_VEY.Upon receiving my commission as superintendent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>survcy_ I procecded immediately to ascertain what reliableinformation respecting <strong>the</strong> topography and geology <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>State previous researches had already laid before <strong>the</strong> people.:My principal object was to ascertain, if <strong>the</strong>re existed any cot- ,feet maps, or reliable surveys, which might serve as a properbasis for delineating accurately <strong>the</strong> geological features <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>State. The different editions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> State map_ <strong>the</strong> countymaps, and several local surveys were examined. None <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>m were found to be sufficiently eorrect_ or to furnish <strong>the</strong>necessary _tata from which such a map could be compiled asNEW JERSEY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
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