204 
[Assembly 
The most important purpose to which this variety of limestone can 
be applied is of course for quicklime. It is necessary, however, to se- 
lect those masses which are free from imbedded minerals, as feldspar 
scapolite quartz, tourmaline, &c. as besides the insulated crystals there 
is always in their vicinity more or less silicious matter intimately com- 
bined with the lime, which after burning is incapable of being slaked, 
and is of course useless. 
In the primitive district of this county, I have found in every town- 
ship I visited sufficient limestone for all the economical uses to which it 
has been applied, with the exception, that for marble it is doubtful whe- 
ther any occurs of the best quality; but this deficiency is supplied by 
another stone, which for building is superior to limestone. 
The application of the unburnt or raw limestone to agricultural pur- 
poses, will be found advantageous whenever plaster is too expensive, 
especially the friable varieties, as those are always free from silicious 
matter, and are also pure carbonates of lime or lime and magnesia. The 
latter earth has been considered by agriculturists as injurious to land, but 
so far as observation and experience go in the country, the magnesian 
limestones are far from exerting an injurious effect, and it is doubtful 
whether they may not be used in the form of quicklime, at least in small 
quantities, without producing serious injury to vegetation. So far as 
improvements in agriculture are concerned, there is nothing of so much 
importance to the inhabitants of St. Lawrence county as the use of lime. 
Possessing the basis or foundation of the best of soils, it only wants, to 
bring them to perfection, the application and use of certain elements, 
easily and always attainable; and as it appears from the partial chemical 
examination of the soil that lime is one of the elements in which it is 
deficient, important beneficial results may be anticipated by the free use 
of this article alone. 
That the views just expressed may be substantiated by decisive expe- 
riments, it is desirable that some enterprising farmer should procure a 
quantity of the primitive or white limestone in a ground state, and make 
application of it to various crops, particularly grass and corn. This 
would test two important questions — whether, in the first place, it does 
produce as good effects as has been asserted and partially established by 
experiment, and in the second place, whether it can be ground economi- 
cally. In the use of it, there is no danger of applying an excessive 
quantity, as one third of the whole upper stratum of soil might consist 
of carbonate of lime vdthout injury to vegetation. The best state for 
