Lucien Marcus Underwood

“ By drift is meant the usual superficial deposits everywhere covering the rocks and underlying the soil, not including the alluvium of rivers and smaller streams. The character of the drift varies with the geological locality as it is derived from the wearing away of rock formations. Passing from Syracuse to Earlville one will notice a marked difference in the character of boulders along the line of the road, especially those in situ in the cuts. ”

“ Much of the rock becomes a light drab on exposure to the air. Concretions are common often forming around fossils notably Orthoceras constrictum. This shale, as well as the Genesee, often resembles bituminous coal so strongly as to be mistaken for it and capital has been foolishly expended in mining it. In the construction of the railroad between Canastota and Cazenovia this formation was crossed and a highly bituminous layer was exposed to view. ”

“ About one-fourth of a mile south of Fayetteville are found boulders of hard gypsiferous shales; from Manlius to Oran and beyond are boulders of various forms of limestone either hydraulic in character or containing such fossils as Favosites; from Cazenovia to Earlville the limestone boulders are present but smaller and less frequent, while boulders of Hamilton shale take their place. Large boulders of crystalline rock are occasionally found at various points, some even weighing several tons. ”

“ Although much money has heretofore been expended in the search for coal in New York State, a knowledge of geology will show that such expenditure is useless for true coal cannot be found earlier than the Carboniferous which is nowhere represented in our state. ”

“ Black shales occur in all formations and are quite likely to deceive the unenlightened; they often contain sufficient bituminous matter to blaze when ignited by a hot fire, which fact makes the shale still more deceptive. This bituminous matter is derived in a manner entirely analagous to the formation of true coal, from the partial decomposition of animals or plants, or likely both, that existed at the time the rocks were formed. ”

“ On the line of the road in question it will be noticed that the boulders of gypsiferous shale are found south of Fayetteville, while like beds in position are found north of that place; that limestone boulders are common south of Manlius and Oran and become less frequeut south of Cazenovia, while the limestone rocks in place (Helderberg and Onondaga) are near Manlius or farther north; and that boulders like the Hamilton shales in appearance, structure, and fossil remains, are found abundantly south of the first Hamilton beds between Oran and Cazenovia but never north of them. ”

“ Anyone crossing the counties from east to west through their central portion would alternately cross valleys and ridges of greater or less extent, and for a long distance the view would be unobstructed to one looking north or south, up or down the various valleys. Thus a marked uniformity is prevalent, naturally suggesting uniformity of cause in their formation. ”

“ Not many generations hence the turf will cover the entire surface and Carpenter's Pond will be known only by tradition. A similar formation may be seen near Pecksport, Madison County, where there are two ponds, one of which has become entirely overgrown with aquatic plants and moss. This pond has received the fanciful name of “Fiddler's Green.” In like manner we may expect that all our inland lakes will become extinct, though it may be generations hence that the inevitable result will be accomplished. ”

“ The adaptability of the various parts of this region to different agricultural products depends largely on the distance above the sea level combined with the character of the soil and various minor conditions. About Syracuse and in the northern portion of the counties of Onondaga and Madison where the elevation above the sea is least and the soil naturally productive wheat and other grains flourish, together with fruit of various kinds. At Cazenovia and especially farther south, at greater elevations, and often with inaccessible plow lands, grazing is a more common occupation. ”

“ It is a well known fact that the clearing of forests diminishes to a like degree the supply of water in streams of all sizes. The forests must be saved or steam must eventually take the place of water power, and railroads the place of river navigation, while agriculture must correspondingly suffer from lack of frequent and uniform rains. ”

“ Another small bed occurs about twenty rods farther south, very shallow, but this is probably due to the fact that the grade is ascending and the road rises above the formation. Trending toward the east from the canal bridge is a high ridge through which these cuts are made, forming the southern boundary of the basin before alluded to which crosses Onondaga and Madison counties from east to west; on the west side of the railroad this same ridge trends towards the south, forming the eastern boundary of the basin of Limestone Creek. ”

“ In some places the drift is cut through to the depth of from 40 to 60 feet without reaching rock beds, as at the “Scott Cut” south of Cazenovia and the “Day cut” near Lebanon. In other parts the surface formations do not exceed a foot in depth above the rock as may be seen in some of the cuts through the limestone from Fayetteville to Manlius. ”

“ While all are impure and earthy limestones, it may be said in general that they lose their argillaceous and earthy character more and more as we pass from the lower to the upper formations, and correspondingly gain in calcareous matter and hecome more crystalline in appearance. ”

“ A. It is remarkable that nearly all the vallevs of the connties of Onondaga and Madison extend north and south, the only marked exception being the basin of Oneida Lake, which has its axis at right angles with this usual direction. Skaneateles Lake, Otisco, Onondaga, and Cazenovia lakes, the Tully lakes, and others have their greatest length from north to south, and all are situated in a basin of far greater area than that now covered by their waters. The streams of both counties for the most part occupy deep broad valleys that extend in the same direction as the lake basins. ”

“ While the pebbles and cobble-stones may be somewhat similar at all points of the road consisting of rounded fragments of sandstone, shale, limestone, and various crystalline rocks like gneiss, granite, syenyte, and the like, — the larger boulders will be found to vary in character as we pass from north to south. ”

“ Sufficient evidence in support of this theory may be derived from a careful study of the drift itself; and a study of existing glaciers of the Alps of Switzerland and in other countries discloses similarities of action and formation that are confirmatory and convincing.
3. The natural products of any region are important data as a key to the economic and agricultural geology of a country, so that botany becomes allied inseparably with geology. ”