474 



Report of the State Geologist, 



enormously productive, and some of it is worth $300 an acre. This soil is 

 generally planted with onions, and 700 bushels per acre is not an uncommon 

 yield. Potatoes or corn are generally planted in alternate years to relieve 

 the soil. There are about 40,000 acres of swamp land in Orange county. The 

 largest of these areas is the Drowned Lands in Warwick, Greenville, Minui 

 sink, Wawayanda and Goshen townships and covers 17,000 acres. Until 

 about sixty years ago the area was covered by several feet of water held 

 in by a natural dam of glacial drift at the north end. A canal cut through 

 this dam has redeemed the land. From the Drowned Lands there arise islands 

 of limestone or drift, which are named Pine, Great, Pellet's, Gardner's, 

 Merritt's, Cranberry, Black Walnut, rV\ and Seward islands. Other import- 

 ant swamp areas are : Greycourt meadows, covering 500 acres and extending 

 from Craigsville to Chester; Black meadow in Goshen township, 1,000 acres; 

 Long swamp, southwest of Edenville in Warwick township, 1,000 acres; 

 Tamarack and Purgatory swamp in Hamptonburgh ; Big swamp, north of 

 Orange lake ; Great swamp, near Coldenham, New Windsor township ; Great 

 Pine swamp, which begins near Howells and extends northward and east- 

 ward about seven miles in the tow n of Wallkill ; Little Pine swamp, east of 

 Thompson's ridge; Pine Bush swamp in Crawford township, Pakadasink 

 swamp in Greenville, and Barton swamp in Cornwall township. 



Mineral Springs. The only mineral spring in the county, of which 

 the writer has any knowledge, is a chalybeate one, in the Highlands east of 

 Mountainville. It is known as Sutherland's spring. 



Water Power. Aside from the small streams furnishing local grist 

 mills, water power is supplied by the Shawangunk kill, Wallkill river, 

 Moodna creek, Quassaic creek and Ramapo river. 



The Shawangunk kill is little used, except for small grist mills. The 

 Wallkill river is a sluggish stream with little fall until it reaches Walden and 

 Montgomery, at both of w hich points it cuts down through the Hudson river 

 -lares. Tw o mills and a paper factory are in operation at Montgomery where 

 the fall is increased by a dam across the river. 



At Walden the river has a natural fall of twenty-six feet, but since the 

 dam above the bridge was constructed, a fall of thirty-two feet is obtained. 

 This fall is utilized by the New York Knife Co., employing 350 hands. The 

 water parses though six turbine wheels, which generate 105 horse-power. 



Mi\ Moore, the superintendent, estimates that, even in dry weather, there 

 i> sufficient flow of water to furnish 1,200 horse-power. The reclaiming of the 

 Mvamp lands farther south has had a material effect on the stream, The 



