90 JOURNAL OF THE 



A rather curious bit of history and of etymology is associated 

 with the feldspar altered to kaolinite. W. C. Kerr, in the paper 

 previously referred to, says that the Indian name for the Smoky 

 Mountains, Unaka mountains, is derived from the Indian word 

 for white, tnakeh, and that they applied this name to them be- 

 cause they were accustomed to obtain white kaolin there, and to 

 " pack r ' it to the coast for exportation 150 years ago. He does 

 not give his authority for this statement, and I have not been 

 able to find it. He may have ascertained it himself, but if so, 

 he makes no mention of it. 



The farmers near the mines are accustomed to apply the disin- 

 tegrated feldspar to their crops, and it has given good results, 

 containing as it does from 10 to 15 per cent, potash. Some 

 attempts have been made to utilize the feldspar as a source of 

 potash, but the experiment has not been successful on a commer- 

 cial scale. With kainit of 13 per cent, potash, selling at $11 

 per ton, it is doubtful whether the potash can be economically 

 extracted from feldspar. I am informed that interest in the 

 problem has somewhat revived of iate. The material can be 

 had in any quantities at an almost nominal cost, as it is obtained 

 in great abundance, and constitutes at least one-third of the 

 dumps. 



From the list of minerals found in mica veins it will be seen 

 that many of them are rare, and some quite so. Whatever 

 agencies were at work during the formation of these veins they 

 seem to have conditioned the occurrence of some of the rarer 

 minerals in considerable quantities. It is not without interest 

 that fluorine was present at the time, occurring as it does in fluo- 

 rite and fluorapatites. The well-known decomposing power of 

 this element, when present as hydrofluoric acid, or combined 

 with lime, may have a bearing upon the constitution of the mica 

 vein itself and of the minerals found in it. I have examined 

 numerous specimens of apatite from Mitchell county, and so far 

 have not observed any chlorapatite. Dr. Genth's experience, 

 stretching over a much longer time than my own, and based on 

 many more examinations, would seem to be in the same direc- 



