176 THE CLAYS OF ARKANSAS. 
Potash (K,0) - -| N determined< 
Soda (Na 2 0) J 
Loss on ignition 4. 45 
97.12 
Sand, very fine, but some coarse particles 11. 83 
Water at 110°-1 15° 4. 48 
When the chocolate clay is washed, it makes a smooth paste of uni- 
form color. This may probably form a good base for the manufacture 
of some classes of terra-cotta ware, but great care must be taken to see 
that it is dried at a uniform rate over all the work, as otherwise the clay 
has a tendency to break into small blocks. 
A portion of the chocolate clay found in the valley at the union sta- 
tion was washed, and the slip so formed was allowed to stand for some 
time. The surplus water was filtered off and the whole was allowed 
to stand for two weeks. On drying it formed a smooth-surfaced even- 
textured clay and retained its characteristic chocolate color. 
BOTTOM CLAYS. 
The bottom lands that lie along Fourche Bayou and form Fourche 
Island are overlain in many places by a dark-bluish clay. On drying 
this clay becomes ashy gray and exhibits patches of iron or rust stains. 
When wet the day is tough and plastic, and in drying it becomes hard 
and shows a tendency to crack where exposed to the heat of the sun. 
An exposure of this clay is seen in the stream along the track of the 
St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, near the point where 
that road crosses Fourche Bayou, in the NE. \ SE. \ sec. 17, T. 1 N., R. 
12 W. In this stream the clay bed is about 4 feet thick and extends 
along the railroad for nearly a quarter of a mile. It is also shown at 
various other places in the cuttings throughout the bottom lands. 
This clay is comparatively free from sand and when wet is very 
tough. When worked properly it may be used for making a good 
grade of pressed front or ornamental bricks and may possibly be util- 
ized for the manufacture of ordinary drain tile. In appearance and 
texture, as well as in position and apparent origin, this clay greatly 
resembles the clays of the bottom lands of Terre Noir and Bradshaw 
creeks, which were formerly used in the manufacture of bricks and 
drain tiles by Maj. Jesse A. Ross at his brick and tile factory near 
Arkadelphia. 
In working this clay considerable attention will have to be paid to 
its proper mixing and tempering, and also to the drying of the bricks 
or tiles after they have come from the machine. 
This clay will work better and easier if dug in the fall and worked 
over during the winter preparatory to its final tempering and manu- 
facture in the following summer. The low-lying position of the pits 
will require the clay that is to be thus worked to be removed to a 
