QUALITY OF THE PRIMITIVE LIMESTONE. 63 



and al Lake Genet, on the upper waters of Racket lake, there is an important mass forming 

 its western shores. It is important, in consequence of the apparent scarcity of limestone in 

 this region. 



In Warren county, in township No. 14, limestone occurs in large beds. 



In Essex county, in Minerva and the western part of Chester, this limestone appears to 

 form a belt by itself. 



In Duane in Franklin county, large boulders of this rock lie upon the surface, indicating 

 tiic existence of beds somewhere in the vicinity. 



I have not deemed it necessary to describe with minuteness the rock I have found associated 

 with primitive limestone, though I wish it to be understood that all the masses which have 

 been named occur in the midst of a primitive region, passing through it somewhat in the form 

 of belts, though no where perfectly continuous. It forms certainly a very remarkable feature 

 in the region north of the Mohawk vailej^ ; and the numerous places at which it appears, 

 furnishes an unfailing supply of this important mineral to the whole region in which the tran- 

 sition limestone is absent. In looking, therefore, over this wide extent of primitive country, 

 we cannot, without violating all the established rules of reasoning in geology, maintain that 

 this rock, which is so abundant, and intruded so frequently between masses of gneiss or granite. 

 Gem possibly be a metamorphic rock. A sedimentary limestone so situated and so connected, 

 would certainly form a new feature in geological science, and require the establishment of 

 new principles in geological reasoning. 



Quality of the lime produced from this rock. 



From what has already been said of the compound nature of this rock, it will be inferred 

 that much of it is unlit for burning into lime. There is, however, but little difficulty in ob- 

 taining from almost every bed of limestone, that which is of sufficient purity to make the 

 strongest and best of lime. It will require some knowledge of the characters of minerals, in 

 order to be uniformly successful in the selection. One rule may be followed with safety, viz. 

 to select only those masses which may be scratched with a common penknife. Quartz is 

 deceptive, when the eye alone is depended upon ; but the distinction between quartz and 

 limestone is readily made, by trying or determining the hardness. Augite and hornblende, 

 being generally colored, will be recognized at once as something quite diiferent from lime- 

 stone. Scapolite, when massive, will appear to the common observer hke quartz, or perhaps 

 no diiference will be discovered between it and limestone. The same means may be resorted 

 to in the case of each of those minerals, with success. In examining this rock, therefore, for 

 the purpose of testing its value as a limestone, all that will be necessary will be to ascertain 

 the hardness of the masses which are intended to be burnt, reserving those only which are 

 soft and easily impressed with the knife, and rejecting those which contain hard masses. 

 When pure, it forms lime of the best quality ; being stronger, and bearing more sand when 

 used for mortar, than any other kind of limestone. 



