5 



IV. Condition of the Inhabitants. — The pursuits of the 

 inhabitants of Franklin county are in a great measure agricul- 

 tural. There are several considerable manufacturing establish- 

 ments ; but the amount of the population employed in these is 

 small, compared with the numbers devoted to agricultural pur- 

 suits. The condition of the population is that of general com- 

 fort and prosperity. They are intelligent and improved. There 

 are few examples of extraordinary wealth. 



V. Agricultural Pursuits. — The general objects of hus- 

 bandry are the raising of neat stock, the production of wool, 

 and the fatting of mutton and beef. Some pork is exported 

 from the county, likewise, though not to a large amount. 

 The principal objects or matters of cultivation, are grass, In- 

 dian corn, broom corn, and potatoes. In some parts of the 

 county, hops have been cultivated with considerable success. 

 Hemp has been attempted in the county upon the rich river- 

 soils ; but owing to its exhausting nature, the expense attend- 

 ing its cultivation, and the difficulty, perhaps through inexpe- 

 rience, of rotting it, it was soon abandoned. The dairy pro- 

 duce has been little attended to, though many localities are fa- 

 vorably situated for that object; but the fatting of beef and 

 mutton for the market at Brighton may be considered the prin- 

 cipal object of agricultural pursuit. Some most valuable ex- 

 periments on a limited scale, have been made in the production 

 of silk, of which I shall give in the sequel ample details. 



VI. Crops. — I shall proceed to speak first of the crops 

 grown in Franklin county. 



1. Grasses. — Grass may be considered as the principal crop. 

 In the hill towns, and what may be called the uplands, the ar- 

 tificial grasses are cultivated, such as clover, [trifoliuin pra- 

 tense,) herds-grass or timothy, (phleum pratense,) and red-top, 

 {agrostis vulgaris.) In general, three pecks of red-top, one of 

 herds-grass, and four to six pounds of clover-seed are sown, 

 when land, which has been cultivated, is laid down to grass. 



