280 [Assembly 
The depression in which occur the mineral springs of Messina, three 
miles cast by north of Salina, is underlaid by tufa. It is well here to 
mention, that since Dr. Beck visited the springs a more copious one 
has been discovered, yielding, according to its proprietor, ten times 
more water than the former one. 
Tufa is extremely abundant between Camillus and Canton, and be- 
tween Canton and Elbridge. 
One mile south of Peru, at the foot of the hill in the road, it occurs 
in great abundance It is the gravelly kind. 
On Limestone creek, about three-fourths of a mile north of the Fabius 
and Le Ruytcr roatl, is a fine deposit of tufa, in the state of earth, and 
in porous masses, the horsebone limestone. The earthy part is made 
into bricks and burnt for lime. No lime can be whiter or purer than 
this is, and from what I could acquire, the lime is highly valued. The 
owner of the lime kiln informed me, that one bushel of brick-lime re- 
quires four bushels sand; one bushel of lime from the porous mass re- 
quires three bushels sand, whilst one bushel stone lime only requires 
two of sand. The deposite on Limestone creek extends up the hill for 
about 100 feet, and extends several hundred feet horizontally; thick- 
ness not known. 
These are some of the prominent localities of tufa, whose value can 
not be appreciated in a region where limestone is so abundant, and 
where the natural soil amply enriches the cultivator, without the aid of 
art. 
Lake MarL 
If the quantity of tufa be great, that of lake marl is prodigiously so, 
being found in nearly all the swamps, marshes, ponds and lakes which 
exist along the course of Seneca river and the Erie canal, extending 
from Cayuga marshes to Oneida creek. We mentioned that the whole 
of the bottom of Lake Onondaga was covered with marl, which extends 
along the head and foot of the lake to distances not ascertained, wdth a 
thickness of six feet. 
The Cowassalon swamp presents the greatest accumulation of marl in 
the three counties. This swamp contains about 10,000 acres, 8,600 of 
which are land, and 1,400 are covered with water. Less water exists 
in this swamp than formerly, being connected directly with Oneida lake 
by a ditch of 14 feet deep, which was made at the expense of the state. 
