DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



47 



tical men, and literary men, and mechanics, and the professions, believe 

 nothing until it is demonstrated. The whole earth is a war of question and 

 denial and call for proof. I anticipate this question: If Suffolk County is 

 the purchaser of one-third of all the fertilizers sold in the State in 1865, and 

 on>sixth in 1875, it must be a poor county; if not, why not? Other 

 counties purchase little or none, while Suffolk is so poor it must purchase 

 to produce, and unless the production is increased so as to pay the cost of 

 fertilizers, Suffolk County is still in arrears. All that may be said regard- 

 ing the necessity of restoring fertilizers to a soil long abused by the skin- 

 ning process in this old county and the li'ce necessity that will come to 

 other counties will avail nothing. All that may be said showing that feed- 

 ing produce to animals on the farm while in the main good farming lessens 

 the amount of sales and appirent profit, will avail nothing. More largely 

 than in other counties Suffolk fed on the farm the hay, corn, oats and 

 roots, and sold proportionately rr.ore meat, lessening not really but appar- 

 ently her farming profits. All this is apparent, but still the demand comes 

 and must be met or avoided. 



The excess and value of county over State avei ages mav be thus stated 

 for 1865: 



Loss on oat crop by army worm, 



Total value of county excess. 

 Add for permanent improvement of land by fertilizers. 



55,000 00 



$614,939 00 

 100,000 00 



$714,939 00 



Total, .... 



Deduct for less county average. 



Acres. Total. Price. 



1865. Potatoes 13 bu. 3,439 1-2 44,713 1-2 $0 80 $35,770 80 

 1875. " 6 " 4,208 25,248 o 50 12,624 00 



Total to deduct. 



Balance of county over State production, 



Cost of fertilizers in i86'5, 



" " " " 1875, 



Amounting to 



$294,429 40 

 316,737 00 



$48,394 80 

 $666,545 20 



611,266 40 



Balance credit to the county over the State average after 



deducting cost of all fertilizers, . . $55,278 80 



In this calculation I have disregarded the item of fertilizers purchased 



