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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



character as is to be found in the woods. Several islands of 

 glacial origin are located in this swamp, and some of the best 

 gravel for road building is obtained on them. 



The section north of Oakfield is covered with a dense growth 

 of white cedar, and the surface is carpeted with sphagnum and 

 3Iarchantia. The peat is 3 feet deep, though the last foot is inter- 

 mingled with marl and calcareous tufa. The subsoil is clay. 



North of Alabama the deposit can hardly be dignified with the 

 name of peat, for it is drier than in the other portions and has a 

 sandy subsoil, and the peat contains a large percentage of foreign 

 matter. The forest growth is principally made up of white cedar, 

 though many deciduous trees are found. Sphagnum is not com- 

 mon, but is replaced by a moss of the genus Hyp num. 



The eastern section of the swamp would probably furnish a 

 good supply of peat for fuel, but the greatest profit will undoubt- 

 edly come from its use in agriculture. The other portions will 

 make excellent soil, but will furnish no peat of any account for 

 fuel. 



Byron. About 2 miles northeast of the village of Byron is a 

 swamp about 4 miles long and a mile or a mile and a half wide. 

 It is known as a cedar swamp and is covered with a dense growth 

 of arbor vitae and some pine, hemlock and tamaracks. Ferns 

 are abundant and Hypnum, Sphagnum and Marchantia form a 

 dense carpet, beneath which is a deposit of peat and marl. 



For about 3 feet the peat is of good quality, but at that point 

 a crust of calcareous tufa is encountered. Beneath this calcare- 

 ous tufa no good borings could be made, but the greater part of 

 the material to the depth of 9 feet was marl, though the auger 

 did not bring up much, because the water washed off the greater 

 part, and particles of peat became intermixed in withdrawing the 

 auger. At a depth of about 9 feet good peat is again found, and 

 at 11 feet the bottom was not yet reached. 



In this swamp there is a decided odor of sulfureted hydrogen 

 at the point where the calcareous tufa is found, which is probably 

 ■due to a decomposition of gypsum in solution. 



