63 
QUALITY OF THE PRIMITIVE LIMESTONE. 
and at Lake Genet, on the upper waters of Racket lake, there is an important mass forming 
its western shores. It is important, in consequence of the apparent scarcity of limestone in 
this region. 
In Warren county, in township No. 14, limestone occurs in large beds-. 
In Essex county, in Minerva and the western part of Chester, this limestone appears to 
form a belt by itself. 
In Duane in Franklin county, .large boulders of this rock lie upon the surface, indicating 
the existence of beds somewhere in the vicinity. 
I have not deemed it necessary to describe with minuteness the rock I have found associated 
with primitive limestone, though I wish it to be understood that all the masses which have 
been named occur in the midst of a primitive region, passing through it somewhat in the form 
of belts, though no where perfectly continuous; It forms certainly a very remarkable feature 
in the region north of the Mohawk valley; and the numerous places at which it appears, 
furnishes an unfailing supply of this important mineral to the whole region in which the tran; 
sitiqn limestone is absent. In looking, therefore, over this wide extent of primitive country, 
we cannot, without violating all the ’ established rules of reasoning in geology, maintain that 
this rock, which is so abundant, and intruded so frequently between masses of gneiss or granite, 
can possibly.be a metamorphic rock. A sedimentary limestone so situated and so connected, 
would .certainly form a new feature in geological science, and require -the establishment of 
new principles in geological reasoning. . , 
;■ ' Quality of the. lime produced from this rock. 
From what has already been said of the compound nature of this rock, it will be inferred 
that much of it is unfit for burning into lime. There is, however, but little difficulty in ob¬ 
taining from almost every bed of limestone, that which is of sufficient purity to make the 
strongest and best of lime. It will require some knowledge of the characters of minerals, in 
order to be uniformly successful in the selection. One rule may be followed with safety, viz. 
to select only those masses which may be scratched with a common penknife. Quartz is 
deceptive, when the eye alone is depended upon; but the distinction between quartz and 
limestone is readily made, by-trying or determining the hardness; Augite and hornblende,, 
being generally colored,’ will be recognized at once as something quite different from lime¬ 
stone. Scapolite, when massive, will appear to the common observer like quartz, or perhaps 
no difference will be discovered between it and limestone. The same means may be resorted 
ta in the case of each of those minerals, with success, ' In examining this rock, therefore, for 
the purpose of testing its value as a limestone, all that will be necessary will be to ascertain 
the hardness of the masses which are intended to be burnt, reserving those only which are 
soft and easily impressed with the . knife, and rejecting those which contain hard masses. 
When pure,’ it forms lime of the best quality ; being stronger, and bearing more sand when 
used for mprtar, than any other kind of limestone. 
