134 RURAL NEW YORK 



satisfactory product because of the control that may 

 be exercised over the material used, has now largely 

 supplanted the natural cement rock and in some 

 places the same formation is used in the new process. 

 Limestone and either shales or pleistocene clays of 

 several ages are used and New York still has a prom- 

 inent place in the cement industry. 



Gypsum is available from the top of the Salina 

 formation over a band of country extending from 

 Utica to the Niagara River and is extensively mined 

 west of Eochester, where it was formerly much used 

 as a fertilizer. 



Other products are molding and glass sand and 

 clay for the manufacture of brick and tile. The 

 molding sand and the glass sand are pleistocene — 

 recent deposits. The former is most abundant 

 west of Albany and in southeastern Saratoga County. 

 Glass sand which occurs as a surface deposit north of 

 Oneida Lake is now unused. In the main, the clays 

 are superficial deposits and are suited only to the 

 manufacture of the coarser grades of building ma- 

 terial. There are some shale deposits suitable for 

 this purpose, for example, at Alfred in Allegheny 

 County where the State School of Ceramics is located. 

 In these and particularly the manufacture of brick 

 and tile the State takes a high rank, namely fifth 

 in total value. The lower Hudson Valley is by far 

 the most prominent district. None of the higher 

 grades of fire or pottery clay or shales is available. 



The total value of these several products in recent 

 years is as follows : 



