294 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



life. Lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and bogs are members 

 of one family just as are acorns, oak sprouts, oak trees, and 

 oak stumps. They pass through a life history to ultimate 

 extinction. Probably more than half of the water bodies 

 which dotted the landscape in glacial time have disappeared, 

 and many a Connecticut farmer is tilling choice bits of land 

 which formerly were covered with lake water. 



The lakes of Connecticut are a favorite source of water 

 supply for cities, and nothing can be better. They are natural 

 reservoirs and do not require the expense of constructing 

 dams. The process of preparation for water supply is chiefly 

 clearing out of undesirable vegetation and protection from 

 pollution by outside agencies. 



Ground Water in Connecticnt. So far as they concern the 

 ground water the geological formations of Connecticut consist 

 of two very distinct parts, namely : the bed rock and the sur- 

 face covering of loosened material. The bed rock of the State 

 consists of sandstones, with their associated lava beds, in the 

 center of the State, and the wide stretch of metamorphic and 

 crystalline rocks which occupies the remainder of the State. 



The crystallines consist of limestones, gniesses, and schists, 

 with some granite and similar rocks locally developed. All of 

 these rocks are of very great antiquity and show forms of struc- 

 ture which can be developed only at very great depths below the 

 surface of the earth. They have been squeezed, and twisted, 

 and injected with hot rock and hot water solutions, and have 

 been so much altered that it is now next to impossible to de- 

 termine the nature of these rocks before metamorphism took 

 place. Their structure and present attitude indicate clearly 

 that they are the bases of ancient mountain ranges, probably 

 rivaling the Southern Appalachian in their height and rugged- 

 ness. All of these rocks have a common characteristic in that 

 they are crystalline, that is, composed of crystals rather than 

 broken grains or fragments. These crystals are placed tightly 

 against each other and oftentimes interlocked so that there are 

 no open spaces between them. The texture of the rock is so 

 dense that there is no opportunity for water to circulate around 

 the individual crystals. Such rocks are clearly not favorable 

 as water-bearing beds. They contain some, but always a small 

 amount of water, rarely over i per cent. A well sunk in such 

 rock is apt to be a failure, or, at the most, furnish a scant sup- 



