86 
ECONOMICAL MINERALOGY. 
Onondaga County. There are few counties in which this substance is more abundant 
than in Onondaga. The great swamp, which is a prolongation of the Cowasalon, contains a 
deposit of marl. The bed of the Onondaga lake also consists of marl, which has been pre¬ 
cipitated from the waters, and contains myriads of shells, which live in the lake and its tri¬ 
butary streams ; and there are abundant deposits of the same substance all around the villages 
of Salina and Syracuse. Another is found in the northern part of Tully; and it is remarked 
by Mr. Yanuxem, that all the small ponds in the southern part of this county contain marl. 
Some years since, I analyzed a specimen of marl from the vicinity of Salina. It was found 
to be composed of 
Carbonate of lime,. \ . 83.00 
Silica, . 10.00 
Alumina,... 7.00 
Ontario County. There are several beds of marl south of Naples, and near the head of 
Canandaigua lake, in this county. So also in the northern part, there are numerous and ex¬ 
tensive deposits of the same substance. Along the valley of Flint creek there is, according 
to Mr. Hall, a deposit of lake marl extending for several miles in length, and from half a mile 
to a mile in width.* 
Orange County. This county, like the last, is rich in beds of marl. It is supposed to 
exist in every town in the county. It either lies naked, or is covered by bog earth and peat, 
and its presence can be determined with the greatest ease. Some specimens contain a large 
proportion of carbonate of lime, and might be used for burning into lime. It has not yet been 
much employed for agricultural purposes. 
A specimen of marl from the lands of Gen. Wickam had the following composition : 
Carbonate of lime,. 93.75 
Silica and alumina,. 6.25 
It is worthy of notice, that some of the beds of marl in this county contain fossil bones. 
Orleans County. One mile south of Holley, and two and a half miles north of Medina, 
are the localities of marl which have been noticed in this county. The mineral at both these 
places is highly calcareous, and at the former is said to contain abundance of shells; but it 
is not thought to be abundant. 
There is a locality of marl in the town of Sandlake, in Rensselaer County. In the town 
of Schaghticoke there occurs a kind of schistose marl or argillaceous limestone, which contains 
thirty or forty per cent, of carbonate of lime, and which would be very valuable for agricul¬ 
tural purposes. 
New-York Geological Reports, 1839. 
