266 ANALYSES OF SOILS. 



mainly of chloride of sodium and the bicarbonates of magnesia, soda and lime. These 

 waters diffei from the preceding, also, in containing iodine and bromine. We regard il 

 as a remarkable facl thai the celebrated Saratoga waters belong chiefly to the Calciferous 

 sandstone, though al Ballston the Bame kind of water issues from the Hudson-river date. 



The lower pan of the Champlain division furnishes a few Bulphur (or, as (hoy are 

 sometimes called, Harrowgate) springs, of some interest. The most important known to 

 me, and which I have examined, arc in the (own of Massena, Si. Lawrence county. A( 

 (his place, there are three within a few rods of each other. They issue from the Calcife- 

 rous sandstone, immediately upon the north bank of the Racket river, aboui three miles 

 from the Si. Lawrence, and just above the Long Sauk. The temperature of one was 

 found to l>c 16- ; another, is ; and the third 52°, the thermometer standing at 82° in the 

 shade. These springs are within thirty feet of each other. All tin ■-■■ springs possess 

 nearly the same taste, and deposit a whitish incrustation upon the stones over which the 

 waters flow. The quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen is considerable, as it may be per- 

 ceived by its odor a mile from the locality. 



The waters whose temperature stands at 46° and 52°, are composed as follows : 



WARM SI'RINO. COLD spring. 



Chloride of sodium 6-988 6-202 



Chloride of magnesium 0-644 0-846 



Chloride of calcium 1-026 0-466 



Sulphate of lime 2-794 1-960 



Carbonate of lime 1-630 1-200 



Hydrosulphuret of soda, magnesium 



and vegetable matter 0-000 1-870 



Solid matter in one pint... ._. 13-082 12-544 



The water of the warm spring had lost its gas entirely, as it did not blacken silver ; the other 

 retained a portion, and both contained vegetable matter, which seemed to be combined in 

 some way with the sulphuretted hydrogen. Without doubt the gas is produced by the 

 decomposition of the sulphates, by the vegetable matter of the water. In another place> 

 I shall offer a few remarks on the origin of the mineral springs of the State. 



The sulphuretted hydrogen springs which belong geologically to the Taconic slates, as 

 well as to the slates of the Hudson river, appear to be less charged with saline matter than 

 is usual with such springs. I have examined a small spring of this character, issuing from 

 the slates forming the crest of the ridge on the east bank of the Hudson, about four miles 

 from Albany, and obtained the following results ; 



