ITS 
[Assembly 
SECTION III. 
Onondaga Limestone. Series. 
Under this head we include numerous strata of blue and gray 
limestone, hydraulic limestone, shales and gypsum beds, which are 
linked together by Palseontological affinities, yet in many of the 
strata a few organic remains, peculiar to each, will be found. The 
series, or formation, comprises the " calciferous slate," or " lia- 
soid rocks," " geodiferous " and " corniferous limerocks," of Ea- 
ton, stretching across the State, from the Helderberg mountains to 
lake Erie, and appearing as a narrow belt, bordering the Erie ca- 
nal on the south. They pass under the new rocks, which consti- 
tute the surface of the southern counties, and are thus lost to ob- 
servation at a distance of ten or twelve miles from the canal. 
They constitute the most important rocks in the district, whether 
considered in relation to the soils they support, the agricultural ad- 
vantages derived from their position and component materials, or 
their value as articles of commerce. From the inexhaustible quar- 
ries of this series, are derived hydraulic cement, of the best quali- 
ty, an unlimited supply of gypsum, and ornamental marbles, which 
we hope to see more extensively wrought and better appreciated 
than they are at present. The universal proximity to the Erie ca- 
nal is highly favorable to the transportation of the products of these 
quarries, to supply the markets of an extensive district, and thus 
the gypsum beds of a limited area, have, at a light cost, enriched 
the soils of a largo portion of the State. The quarries of this for- 
mation are rich in stone suitable for converting into quick lime, 
and more economy in the use of fuel might be obtained by the in- 
troduction of kilns of a peculiar construction, that would consti- 
tute this a profitable business, especially when agriculturists have 
learned, by experience, that lime will, in most instances, renovate 
their exhausted soils. 
In descending the slope from the village of Onondaga to Syra- 
cuse, we find, in succession, most of the rocks of this series, in the 
following order: 
1. Gray sparry limestone: 
2. Alternating strata of blue and hydraulic limestone: 
3. Shales, with gypsum beds. 
