Smyth — Talc Industry ok St. Lawrence County. 



071 



fibrous and pliable character, which causes it to be retained in the paper 

 pulp, to which its binding properties give added toughness. Formerly, 

 various clays w ere used as tillers, but these did not strengthen the paper, and 

 only thirty to forty per cent, of the clay w as retained by the pulp, while of 

 the talc, seventy to ninety per cent, is retained. 



Smaller quantities of talc are used in the manufacture of cheap grades of 

 soap, in toilet powders, in the adulterations of various substances, and in the 

 manufacture of dynamite. 



There seems to be no reason for doubting that the demand for talc w ill 

 continue, and increase with the revival of business interests in general. As 

 existing plants can largely expand their output at any time, it is not probable 

 that any new properties will be developed in the near future. The many 

 advantages enjoyed by the plants now in operation are sufficient to prevent 

 new competitors from entering the field, unless there be some great increase 

 in the demand for talc. The present conditions are not such as to stimulate 

 search for new deposits, and past efforts in this direction have not been 

 encouraging. The great extent of crystalline limestone in the region makes 

 it probable that other talc deposits exist, but ; t would be surprising if any 

 which equal in size and quality the deposits now worked, should have 

 remained undiscovered till the present time. 



