SOME NATURAL WATERS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK. 
NICHOLAS KNIGHT AND VERNON C. SHUPPEE. 
The little stream from which the City of Oneida, New York, 
receives its water supply, and also the reservoir, are located in 
the midst of the Salina shales. In some places these shales con- 
tain notable quantities of gypsum, many times quite large masses 
of selenite. 
The soil survey of Madison county, New York, issued by the 
government printing office at Washington in 1907, contains an 
account of the geology of the region. It is there stated that the 
ravine occupied by the city reservoir is Upshar clay, the sides 
of the surrounding slope are Allis clay and the higher portion 
of the watershed Miami stony loam. The Upshar clay is derived 
directly from the disintegration and weathering in place of the 
red Salina shales of Silurian age. The Allis clay is formed 
by the weathering in place of the light colored Salina shales. 
The Miami stony loam is derived from the weathering in place 
of a comparatively heavy mantle of glacial material deposited 
as a terminal moraine by one of the later advances of the ice- 
sheet at about the close of the glacial epoch in this section. It 
is not likely that the hard local limestones have contributed any 
considerable amount of material to the formation of the till, but 
that the soft red shales along the, foot-hills have contributed 
to it is evident from its color. It is, however, quite probable 
that the limestone now contributes to the soil or soil solution. 
The character of the soil in which the reservoir is located as 
well as that of the watershed itself accounts for the large amounts 
of hardness in the form of calcium sulphate and calcium and 
magnesium carbonates. It is necessary to employ water soften- 
ing plants in order to use the water in the manufacturing in- 
dustries of the city, and also in the engine boilers of the different 
railway lines. The analysis of the water is given in Table I. 
