3,2 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



making industry. This industry, it is well known, is of enormous 

 proportions, but subject to great fluctuations of activity with 

 changes in the market demand, which varies materially from 

 season to season. Its situation in the last few years has been 

 rather precarious. Prices have been low and the market uncer- 

 tain, so that many manufacturers have closed their plants, some 

 having withdrawn altogether from business. This is well brought 

 out by the statistics collected for the annual mining and quarry 

 report which show that in 1914 there were only 98 operators in the 

 nine counties along the river, whereas in 1905 there were 119 in 

 the same territory. That the industry has reached its full develop- 

 ment under present conditions seems quite conclusive from the 

 record, and its future welfare is to a great extent dependent upon 

 possible improvements and ,the opening of new channels for its 

 products. The study of the clays themselves, their composition, 

 physical properties and behavior in the kiln, is the first requisite 

 for the proper knowledge of the problems connected with the 

 industry, and such study has been undertaken. 



MINERALOGY 



Several important additions have been made to the mineral col- 

 lections during the past year. 



A representative series of the recently discovered microcline 

 (Amazon stone) crystals was collected from quarries to the east 

 of Valhalla, Westchester county. Some of these compare favor- 

 ably in color and in perfection of crystal development with the 

 amazon stone from the famous locality on Pike's Peak, Colorado. 



A suite of forty-two specimens was acquired by exchange from 

 the Egleston Mineralogical Museum of Columbia University. 

 These were selected with special reference to the needs of the 

 present collections and serve admirably to strengthen some of the 

 weaker portions both of the general mineral collection and of the 

 collection of New York State minerals. 



By exchange with Mr Shimmatsu Ichikawa of Kitashinjo-mura, 

 Japan, the general collection has been enriched by a number of 

 beautiful specimens of Japanese minerals. Notable among these is 

 a series of extremely interesting quartz crystals, including several 

 examples of the famous Japanese twin crystals. 



The collection of New York minerals has recently been expanded 

 to the extent of about 14 per cent in exhibited specimens. The 

 material which has been added has been distributed throughout the 

 collection and represents a gain of the contents of four type B cases. 



