THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY IQIl 55 



metamorphic region of St Lawrence and Jefferson counties. Some 

 of the better known localities are on the Alexander Farr farm, 

 two and a half miles northeast of Bigelow; on the George Styles 

 farm, one and a half miles west of Bigelow ; the farm of S. Hen- 

 dricks, one mile south of Bigelow ; and that of S. Hockens, seven 

 miles west of Rensselaer Falls. Near Antwerp pyrite'is found in 

 the vicinity of the Dixon and Old Sterling iron mines. As has been 

 noted by C. H. Smyth, jr, the hematite deposits of that section are 

 often accompanied by bodies of pyrite in the adjoining wall rocks. 

 Their distribution may afford a useful clew to exploration for the 

 latter. There is an extensive belt of pyrite and pyrrhotite in the 

 vicinity of Ox Bow. 



The zinc ores near Edwards which are under development carry 

 more or less pyrite intermixed with the blende. The pyritous ores 

 are being reserved for mill treatment by which it is intended to 

 make a pyrite concentrate as a by-product. 



SALT 



The salt industry throughout the State was practically unchanged 

 last year. There were no additions to the list of producing plants. 

 The output continued at about the rate established in the preceding 

 year or two, and the market conditions, so far as prices were con- 

 cerned, were almost stationary, at least showing no definite tend- 

 ency toward recovery from the previous low levels. The selling 

 prices of the various grades of evaporated salt have undergone a 

 marked decHne of late years, and it is doubtful if any further ex- 

 tensive reduction could take place without reacting injuriously upon 

 that branch of the industry. The only real gains in the production 

 recently have come from the rock salt mines and from the wells 

 whose output of brine is consumed without evaporation for manu- 

 facture of soda products. 



The total quantity of salt taken from the mines and wells during 

 the year was 10,082,656 barrels of 280 pounds. This was a slight 

 decrease from the total of 10,270,273 barrels reported for 1910, the 

 largest ever recorded in the State, but exceeded the output of any 

 other year. The actual decline was thus 187,617 barrels, or a little 

 less than 2 per cent of the gross amount. Converted to a tonnage 

 basis the product in 191 1 was equivalent to 1,411,572 short tons 

 against 1,437,838 short tons for the year 1910. 



