Report of William T. Hughes. 



Hon. Charles A. Wieting, Commissioner of Agriculture: 



Dear Sir. — As Assistant Commissioner for the Eighth Divi- 

 sion, comprising the counties of Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario, 

 Seneca, Wayne and Yates, I have the honor to submit the follow- 

 ing report of agricultural conditions and of the work performed 

 under my direction during the year ended September 30, 1901: 



Probably no other section of the State better illustrates the 

 changed conditions of agriculture than the Genesee Valley. 

 Comparatively a few years ago this was one of the great grain 

 producing regions of the country. Two causes have led to the 

 loss of its pre-eminence in this direction — the opening to tillage 

 of vast tracts of cheaper land in the West, and the demands of 

 the rapidly growing urban population of the East for dairy 

 products, fowls, eggs,_fresh fruits and vegetables. 



The farmer is learning rapidly that his best hope of prosperity 

 lies in catering to the wants of the cities and villages of the 

 State, and especially to the great New York market. The prod- 

 ucts of State farms command the best prices in New York 

 because they reach there in better condition than those which 

 have to be preserved by artifical means for several days during 

 transportation. 



One result of the new methods in farming is seen in the 

 cutting up of large estates into small farms. This has been 

 noticeable in the vicinity of Rochester, where the former wheat 

 fields of several townships have been converted into market 

 gardens. Farmers have found that by careful cultivation of 

 articles of food for urban consumption it is possible to make 

 five acres of land earn as much money as could formerly be 

 made by seeding one hundred acres with grain. The adoption 

 of the system of small farming undoubtedly has prevented an 

 enormous loss in the aggregate value of the farm lands of the 



