MADISON COUNTY. 
273 
each year’s experience is enhancing the value as a manure, its greatest benefit accruing when 
carted and spread in the farm yard. It compensates the farmer if used without any prepara¬ 
tion, but still better when mixed with the lake marl, which, in the low swampy regions north 
of the gypsum hill, it so frequently covers. 
South of the swamp is the Ylie or Natural meadow, the extent of which I did not ascer¬ 
tain. The growth of timber diminishes going to it, ending in scrubby tamarisk, dead trees 
of the same being numerous ; after which are ferns, other weeds, some grass, etc. The 
soil of the vlie is muck, or peat very pure. A ditch cut by the side of the road leading to 
it from Chittenango, shows vertical stumps three feet below the surface, and then a small 
growth near the surface; so that it would appear that two forests have existed there. A 
little marl appears amongst the muck. The road showed, where some oats and timothy seed 
had been scattered, the favorableness of the soil for vegetation. 
The swamp occupies a depression between the Lockport group and the Onondaga salt 
group, concealing the junction of the two throughout the county. To the south of the swamp 
is the red shale, the canal passing through the surface which it covers, and the shale extending 
a little to the south of the turnpike from the east end of the county to near Chittenango vil¬ 
lage. It shows, in the low grounds to the north of Chittenango, some of the light-colored 
calcareous portions in layers ; but the greatest exposition of alternate colored layers is in the 
hills to the east of the county, and south of the turnpike ; another is at Canaseraga creek, 
and a third at Chittenango hill. 
Near Canastota, there is a salt spring in the marsh on the land of Captain Clark, about 
thirty yards north of the canal. A boring was here made of one hundred and ninety feet in 
red shale, and six feet in hard green rock. This latter depth took several days to perforate ; at 
the end of which time, it was said that a portion of the auger broke, and could not be extracted. 
When commenced, the strength of the water was 2\° by the instrument used, and increased 
to 9°. Having been abandoned, it is reasonable to suppose that there was no encouragement 
for a further prosecution of the work, especially when so near to known sources of great 
strength as at Syracuse, &c. 
The hill rises to the south about eighty feet at the village of Lenox, showing green and 
dove-colored shale and slate ; to the south of which, there is a further rise of near one hun¬ 
dred and fifty feet, showing alternations of red and green, etc. to the top. 
The value and interest of the group is in that portion which contains the gypseous masses ; 
and these, in every instance in the range of the group, are above the point where all red shale 
ceases, and consequently to the south of the turnpike road. The greatest breadth of the 
range containing gypsum is at the east end of the county; diminishing greatly to the west 
end. It is exposed in many places on the east branch of the Cowasolon creek, on the west 
branch near Clockville, and along the road from that village towards Chittenango ; the details 
of which were given in the group, and in the Report of 1839. 
The vermicular or porous rock, is well exposed in the high hill at the east end of the county; 
in the road which leads from the furnace towards Clockville; and at the quarries near the 
Geol. 3d Dist. 35 
