Niagara County: Its Agriculture and Its Farm Bureau 2087 



An important industn^ was the production of " black ash salts " and the 

 reduction of potash from the surplus timber, this frequently bringing in 

 the first money of the settlers. The production of cranberries at this 

 time also yielded some revenue. 



Wheatlield, the name of one of the southern to\\-nships of Niagara 

 County, suggests the first great crop raised on that newly cleared land. 

 It is said that in 1825 Harv'ey Miller chopped and cleared eighteen acres 

 of land and harvested eight hundred bushels of wheat from this land 

 the following year — an average of forty-four bushels per acre. This he 

 sold for seventy-five cents per bushel to the incoming settlers, the one 

 crop more than pa\-ing for his claim of one himdred acres. 



Stock raising was largely engaged in tmtil about 1875, when western 

 competition became severe. Grain farming continued the mainstay of 

 the farmers as late as 1880. Hay has always been the most important 

 crop as far as acreage is concerned. 



Fruit grouing. — Apple trees have always been associated with Niagara 

 County. It is claimed that the Tuscarora Indians had over fifteen hun- 

 dred fruit trees before the white man made any attempt at an agricul- 

 tural settlement in this coimty. Among the seeds that the first settlers 

 brought in from the East were those of the apple. Early varieties raised 

 were Esopus (Spitzenberg) , Yellow Ne\\-town (Ne\\-toA\-n Pippin), Fall 

 Pippin, Tolman (TaLman Sweet), Rambo, Yellow Bellflower, and Rhode 

 Island Greening. Varieties raised for cider making were the most 

 profitable. Years later these trees were grafted to the marketable va- 

 rieties of to-day — Baldwin, Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, and 

 others. 



In 1 8 13 Jarius Rose, living near Sanborn, sowed two acres of land to 

 apple seeds, thus starting the first nursen,- in the county. The young 

 trees were distributed throughout the county, selling for twelve cents 

 each. The years 1825 to 1850 are called the early apple-planting period. 

 Manv of these seedlings were top-grafted. These trees came into bearing 

 between 1845 and i860 and produced a surplus of fruit. In iS5o in 

 Hartland and Royalton alone there were sold 16,000 barrels of fruit. 

 In 1878 there were said to be 1,400,000 apple trees in Niagara County 

 (Histor\' of Niagara County); in 1909 there were only 804,155 (United 

 States Census). 



The cultivation of apples having started fruit culture, peaches and 

 pears were introduced next, and the planting of pltmis and other fruits 

 was begun about 1875. 



The influence of Jarius E.ose on the subsequent orchard development 

 of the county was indeed great. However, there is a man still living, 

 a practical horticulturist, farmer, and writer, whose influence on the 

 farmers and fruit growers, not only of Niagara Coiinty but of the entire 

 State of New York as well, has been even greater. This man is J. S. 

 Woodward, of Lockport, who has been a resident of Niagara Coimty for 

 over eighty years. He has been the most progressive farmer of the 

 county during the past half century. He has had many honors and 

 duties in connection with agricultural work. He was the Secretary and 

 Manager of the New York State Agricultural Society for five years; he 

 organized the farmers' institutes of the State of New York; and A;\'ith him 



