Report of the Geological Branch. 17 



of all those that have to be supplied to farm crops, the value 

 value of this discovery may in some measure be estimated. It 

 was the chief of the first fruits of the modern application of 

 chemistry and scientific methods to the solution of agricultural 



problems. 



F. T. S. 



REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL BRANCH. 



To THE Council of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club : 



The leaders of the Geological section beg to report that 

 the work of this branch of the Club has been satisfactory. 

 Owing, however, to the absence from the city, during a great 

 part of the season, of two of the leaders, not so much detailed 

 work was accomplished as would probably have been done 

 had they been able to attend the several excursions. This is, 

 however, probably of not so much importance just now to the 

 Club itself, since the geological formations of Ottawa and 

 vicinity are now being studied in detail by one of the field 

 parties of the Geological Survey, and materials are now being 

 collected for the publication of a topographical and geological 

 map of this area, with a report thereon, at an early date. This 

 map, when issued, will be of special value to the members of 

 the Club in their several excursions to points in the vicinity of 

 the city. 



The three principal excursions of the season, viz., to Galetta, 

 Chelsea and the Paugan Falls, on the Gatineau, were all to 

 localities occupied for the most part by the same kinds of rock 

 formation. These consist largely of crystalline limestones, with 

 associated gneiss, which are a part of the Grenville series, 

 and which are cut by various intrusions of diorite, pyroxene, 

 syenite, etc. At Old Chelsea and the Paugan the limestones 

 contain serpentine, which forms the outer zone of certain masses 

 of white pyroxene, occurring in the mass of limestone itself. 

 The serpentinized portion carries small veins of chrysotilc. 



