﻿470 
  Forty- 
  seventh 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  

  

  The 
  molding 
  sand 
  is 
  found, 
  not 
  in 
  heavy 
  banks, 
  but 
  beds 
  

   of 
  varying 
  thickness. 
  These 
  beds 
  are 
  underlaid 
  by 
  coarser 
  

   well-stratified 
  sand 
  beds 
  more 
  nearly 
  allied 
  to 
  quicksands. 
  Then 
  

   come 
  the 
  molding 
  sands, 
  varying 
  from 
  six 
  inches 
  to 
  three 
  or 
  

   five 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  Over 
  this 
  bed 
  lies 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  soil. 
  Originally 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  nearly 
  a 
  plain, 
  but 
  with 
  

   the 
  emergence 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  the 
  rains 
  have 
  gathered 
  

   into 
  brooks 
  and 
  larger 
  streams. 
  In 
  consequence, 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  plain 
  the 
  fields 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  minature 
  plateaus, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  broad-topped. 
  The 
  summits 
  of 
  these 
  carry 
  the 
  sand, 
  while 
  

   the 
  drainage 
  streams, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  intermittent, 
  have 
  cut 
  down 
  to 
  

   and 
  into 
  the 
  underlying 
  beds 
  of 
  clay. 
  

  

  In 
  gathering 
  the 
  sand 
  for 
  market 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  land 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   rods 
  in 
  width 
  is 
  stripped 
  of 
  its 
  overlying 
  soil 
  and 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   sand. 
  The 
  sand 
  is 
  then 
  dug 
  up 
  and 
  carted 
  away 
  from 
  this 
  strip. 
  

   After 
  the 
  sand 
  is 
  moved 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  strip 
  a 
  second 
  belt 
  is 
  

   cleared 
  of 
  soil 
  and 
  dumped 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  

   field 
  has 
  been 
  stripped 
  of 
  its 
  sand. 
  After 
  stripping 
  the 
  entire 
  

   field 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  replaced 
  and 
  leveled 
  down 
  and 
  is 
  then 
  just 
  as 
  

   good 
  for 
  agricultural 
  purposes 
  as 
  before. 
  Some 
  farmers 
  even 
  

   claim 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  improved 
  thereby. 
  The 
  farmers- 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  rarely 
  do 
  the 
  stripping 
  since 
  it 
  takes 
  one 
  well 
  acquainted 
  

   with 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  trade 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  nice 
  distinctions 
  

   between 
  the 
  grades 
  of 
  sand 
  fitted 
  for 
  the 
  different 
  castings. 
  

   Consequently 
  a 
  dealer 
  buys 
  the 
  sand 
  on 
  a 
  farm 
  from 
  the 
  owner 
  

   and 
  pays 
  by 
  the 
  ton. 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  S. 
  Caldwell 
  estimates 
  that 
  each 
  six 
  

   inches 
  of 
  sand 
  will 
  yield 
  one 
  thousand 
  tons 
  per 
  acre. 
  The 
  price 
  

   paid 
  to 
  the 
  farmer 
  varies 
  from 
  five 
  cents 
  to 
  twenty-five 
  cents 
  

   per 
  ton, 
  according 
  to 
  accessibility 
  to 
  the 
  river. 
  At 
  present 
  

   the 
  sand 
  is 
  not 
  hauled 
  over 
  six 
  miles. 
  

  

  The 
  sand 
  is 
  delivered 
  either 
  near 
  Albany 
  or 
  at 
  some 
  other 
  ship- 
  

   ping 
  point 
  ne 
  ir 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  stacked 
  in 
  huge 
  piles. 
  From 
  these 
  

   the 
  material 
  is 
  hauled 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  shipped 
  in 
  boats 
  as 
  

   required. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  extent 
  or 
  future 
  supplies 
  it 
  will 
  suffice 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  

   only 
  the 
  farms 
  which 
  lie 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  river 
  have 
  been 
  touched. 
  The 
  whole 
  valley 
  from 
  the 
  

   Eudson 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  West 
  Shore 
  railroad 
  tracks, 
  about 
  the 
  eistern 
  

  

  