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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ECONOMIC 
  PRODUCTS 
  

   Soils 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  farming 
  and 
  the 
  success 
  

   of 
  that 
  industry 
  here, 
  as 
  elsewhere, 
  depends 
  not 
  only 
  upon 
  the 
  

   character 
  and 
  energy 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  but 
  also, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  upon 
  

   the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  The 
  Port 
  Leyden 
  quadrangle 
  affords 
  us 
  a 
  

   fine 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  dependence 
  of 
  agriculture 
  upon 
  the 
  geologic 
  

   formations. 
  From 
  the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  fertility 
  of 
  soil, 
  Black 
  river 
  

   divides 
  the 
  district 
  into 
  two 
  portions 
  which 
  present 
  a 
  remarkable 
  

   contrast. 
  Eastward 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  territory 
  is 
  mostly 
  covered 
  

   with 
  deep 
  sands 
  and 
  gravels 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  unproductive. 
  

   Occasionally 
  along 
  the 
  stream 
  bottoms 
  or 
  where 
  some 
  clay 
  is 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  the 
  sand, 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  of 
  fairly 
  good 
  quality. 
  The 
  potato 
  crop 
  is 
  

   best 
  suited 
  to 
  this 
  sandy 
  soil. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  deserted 
  farms 
  on 
  

   this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  apparently 
  this 
  section 
  was 
  most 
  pros- 
  

   perous 
  when 
  lumbering 
  was 
  the 
  chief 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  and 
  

   farming 
  a 
  secondary 
  matter. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  where 
  the 
  geologic 
  formations 
  arc 
  

   chiefly 
  limestones 
  and 
  shales, 
  and 
  where 
  sands 
  and 
  gravels 
  are 
  

   sparingly 
  present, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  prosperous 
  farming 
  community. 
  Here 
  

   the 
  surface 
  is 
  mostly 
  strewn 
  with 
  glacial 
  debris 
  which 
  is 
  largely 
  

   composed 
  of 
  ground 
  up 
  shale, 
  sandstone, 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  lime- 
  

   stone, 
  which 
  is 
  thus 
  a 
  rich 
  and 
  easily 
  worked 
  soil. 
  

  

  Building 
  stone 
  

  

  Building 
  stone 
  of 
  fine 
  quality 
  occurs 
  in 
  immense 
  quantities 
  within 
  

   the 
  map 
  limits. 
  The 
  rocks 
  most 
  quarried 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  are 
  the 
  

   limestones 
  of 
  the 
  Pamelia, 
  Lowville 
  and 
  Black 
  River 
  formations, 
  

   but 
  especially 
  the 
  Lowville. 
  Many 
  large 
  quarries 
  have 
  been 
  opened 
  

   up 
  in 
  these 
  formations, 
  the 
  principal 
  ones 
  being 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  

   geologic 
  map. 
  Such 
  stone 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  building 
  the 
  numerous 
  locks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  canal 
  and 
  then 
  later 
  by 
  the 
  railroad 
  for 
  bridge 
  

   abutments. 
  It 
  now 
  has 
  a 
  considerable 
  local 
  use, 
  especially 
  for 
  

   foundations. 
  The 
  highly 
  jointed 
  and 
  stratified 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lowville 
  and 
  Pamelia 
  beds 
  cause 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  readily 
  accessible 
  in 
  layers 
  

   of 
  almost 
  any 
  desired 
  thickness 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  2 
  feet. 
  The 
  Lowville 
  

   is 
  a 
  bluish 
  gray, 
  very 
  fine 
  grained, 
  pure 
  limestone, 
  while 
  the 
  

   Pamelia 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  whitish 
  gray 
  to 
  pink, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  sandy 
  and 
  

   impure 
  limestone. 
  The 
  gray 
  Black 
  River 
  limestone 
  quarries 
  out 
  as 
  

  

  