THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I913 ^y 



as heretofore, contributed the largest part, $56,239 against $67,912 

 in the preceding year. Cayuga, Onondaga, Monroe and Warren 

 counties made smaller outputs. 



Furnace flux. The metallurgical enterprises which are established 

 in the State provide a large outlet for fluxing limestone which is 

 mainly obtained from local formations. Nearly pure high calcium 

 limestones are usually required for the purpose, although in iron 

 smelting the presence of magnesia is not detrimental. The principal 

 flux quarries are in the Onondaga limestone of Erie and Genesee 

 counties, the Clinton limestone of Niagara county, the Precambric 

 limestones or marbles of the Adirondacks, and the Chazy limestones 

 of the Champlain valley. The limestones in these sections carry 

 from 90 to 95 per cent of calcium carbonate. 



The production of flux in 1913 was valued at $575,102, represent- 

 ing a total of 1,052,519 net tons. The corresponding figures for 

 the preceding year were $542,154 and 1,032,481 tons. Niagara and 

 Erie counties, which supply the iron and steel works about Buffalo, 

 reported the largest quantities. 



Agricultural lime. The use of lime on agricultural lands has 

 become an important factor in the quarry industry. The quantity 

 sold for the purpose is not given separately in the statistical tables 

 for the reason that many of the quarry companies themselves do not 

 know the amount of their product that is thus used. Much of the 

 material sold is really a by-product of which little account is taken, 

 as in the case of the fines and dust of the crushing plants which are 

 now utilized, and also the inferior grades of quicklime. There are 

 a number of quarries, however, that dispose of all or a large part of 

 their product for agricultural lime. Altogether the quantity pro- 

 duced last year probably amounts to 1 00,000 tons, and may have 

 been considerably more. There has been a very active inquiry for 

 quarry lands in the State which are favorably situated for supplying 

 this market. The material must be delivered to the consumer at a 

 low price to make it economically available, and the tendency, 

 doubtless, will be to develop local quarries so far as possible. 



There is an inexhaustible supply of limestone well adapted for 

 agricultural use, though the resources are by no means so distributed 

 as to be always available as commercial quarry sites. The best lime- 

 stones, that is the high-grade calcium varieties, are mainly to be 

 found in the Precambric and early Paleozoic formations of the 

 northern part of the State. The crystalline limestones or marbles 

 of St Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties, the Trenton lime- 



