Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/819

 KENTUCKY 799 which occupy the whole eastern portion of the state are a part of the great Appalachian coal field which overspreads western Virginia and Pennsylvania. The limestones abound in fos- sil remains, and those of the falls at Louisville are especially famous for their remarkably fine coralline productions. The hydraulic lime- stone is found here, and largely used in the manufacture of cements. When the river is low the rocks in its bed appear like the coral reefs produced by living zoophytes, the softer por- tions being worn away, so that the hard cal- careous corals stand out in relief precisely as if they were living. Fine selected specimens being placed in juxtaposition with others of recent growth, none but a zoologist would be able to guess which were ancient and which moder.n. These limestones also abound in caves, some of which are among the most remarkable of these curiosities. Upon their walls are found incrustations of saltpetre, which in some instances have been profitably collect- ed. The Mammoth cave, near Green river, in Edmonson co., is the largest in the world. It has been explored through winding passages more than 10 m. (See MAMMOTH CAVE.) In some of the superficial depressions of the lime- stone are found the low swamps known as "licks," frequented by deer and elk, and in ancient times by the buffalo, and in a still more distant epoch by the extinct species of ele- phant, horse, mastodon, megalonyx, &c., whose bones are occasionally found near the saline springs of these quagmires. One of the most remarkable of these localities is the Big Bone lick, 23 m. S. W. of Cincinnati. Lead ores have been worked to a small extent heretofore, but considerable efforts are now in progress for their development. Salt springs occur in many places among the sandstone rocks, and sulphur, saline, and chalybeate springs are nu- merous. On Goose creek in Clay co., and in Meade co., salt is largely manufactured from brine procured by boring. The "hanging rock " iron region comprises a portion of N. E. Kentucky and of S. Ohio; it is about 15 m. wide, and extends about 30 ro. from the Ohio river into Kentucky, and about 50 m. N. into Ohio. The ores of this region are mostly brown hematite ; they lie in strata which dip to the east with a slight deviation to the south. There are two clearly defined strata, the lower being from 10 to 30 in. thick and yielding block ore. Above this, at distances varying from 30 to 75 ft., lies the stratum known as the limestone ore, which is from 12 to 50 in. thick. These ores contain from 40 to 65 per cent, of iron, which is found to be remarkably well adapted for the manufacture of car wheels. Numerous iron furnaces are in operation in this region. Be- sides iron ores, large deposits of superior coal, fire clay, moulding sand, limestone, building stone of superior quality, potter's clay, and sand suitable for making glass are found. Exten- sive deposits of hydrated oxides of iron exist in the S. "W. counties, bordering on the Ten- 464 VOL. ix. 51 nessee and Cumberland rivers ; and different ores of iron are found all through the coal fields and in the slate and subcarboniferouo ! limestone regions. The blue limestone region, which was originally covered with forests of large trees and a dense undergrowth of reeds, contains the richest soil in the state, and that part of it between the Ohio and the vicinity of Lexington is commonly called the "garden of Kentucky." The barrens are thinly wooded with trees which have grown up almost wholly since the settlement of the state, but produce good pasturage, so that the average fertility of Kentucky may be considered equal to that of any other state in the Union. The climate is remarkably pleasant, but variable. The mean annual temperature is about 55 F. ; in winter the thermometer frequently falls to 20 or 15, and occasionally below zero, and in summer rises to 94 or 100. Winter sometimes con- tinues from late November to early April, but snow seldom lies long on the ground, and cattle and sheep are abroad throughout the coldest seasons. In spring and summer S. W. winds prevail, and the weather is delightful. The N. W. wind produces the greatest winter cold. Rain falls abundantly in winter and spring, but is sometimes scanty in summer and autumn, the weather in those seasons being characteristically dry and constant. There are still extensive forests in Kentucky. In the mountain and upland region are found chiefly tulip trees, elm, oak, ash, hickory, walnut, cherry, &c. ; those of the barrens are chiefly oaks, chestnuts, and elms. Among the most useful trees are the sugar maple, black and honey locust, wild cherry, and the several varieties of oak and walnut, which in the early settlement of the state furnished house- hold staples of great value. The principal fruit trees are the apple and peach. Be- sides being a great grain-growing state, Ken- tucky produces more than half of the hemp grown in the Union, and four sevenths of the flax. In the S. W. districts, along the Ten- nessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi rivers, some cotton is raised ; and the tobacco grown in these regions and in the rich soil further E. supplies a valuable material to the commerce of the state. As an agricultural state Kentucky holds a very high rank. Of the total produc- tion of hemp (12,746 tons) in the United States in 1870, as reported by the federal census, 7,777 tons were contributed by Kentucky; while of the entire yield of tobacco in the United States (262,735,341 Ibs.) 105,305,869 Ibs. were the product of this state. In the same year only five states produced more In- dian corn, four more rye, two more honey, and three more wax, and only three contained more swine. According to the census of 1870, there were in the state 118,422 farms; of these, 38,939 contained between 20 and 60 acres, 29,731 between 50 and 100, 25,490 be- tween 100 and 500, 616 between 500 and 1,000, and 164 contained 1,000 acres and over. The