1^46.] Mineral and Agricultural Resources qfJVew York. 173 



coming more profitable than formerly, for some counties raise 

 enough for home consumption. 



It may however be interesting to know the average yield in 

 different sections of the state. For this purpose w^e will select 

 several counties which may be considered fair representatives of 

 the section of the state in which they are situated. In West- 

 chester the average of the wheat crop for 1845 was 9 bushels 

 per acre; in Washington county, 12; Rensselaer, 8; Dutchess, 

 5; Columbia, 6. Proceeding to the western part of the state, 

 the yield of Livingston county was 15; in Onondaga county, 14^ 

 nearly: and Monroe county nearly 19,1 bushels, which is the great- 

 est average yield for any of the counties of the state. In the 

 southern tier of counties the average yield is much less, but more 

 than some of the older river counties already spoken of Thus 

 Allegany raised 260,190 bushels on 23,600 acres of land, the 

 average per acre being about 11 bushels; Steuben raised 180,095 

 bushels on 15,365 acres, the average of which is over 11^ bushels. 

 In the extreme northern section of the state we find Clinton 

 county giving a very handsome average yield of wheat. On 

 6,508 acres, 114,570 bushels of wheat were harvested, which is 

 an average of about 17^ bushels per acre. 



If we now turn to the premium crops, and compare the several 

 averages with them, we shall have the means of forming an esti- 

 mate of what the produce should be per acre. The State Socie- 

 ty's premium for the greatest crop of wheat was awarded to 

 Edward Rivenberg, of Vernon, Oneida county, who raised a little 

 over 55 bushels per acre. The second premium was awarded to 

 a crop of 55 and a fraction. The Washington County Society 

 awarded a premium for a yield of 44 bushels per acre, and Madi- 

 son county for 53^ bushels per acre. William Garbutt of Wheat- 

 land, Monroe county, raised an average of 26 bushels per acre for 

 16 years in succession. This is a good example of the produce 

 of this grain for several successive years. The greatest yield was 

 in 1833, amounting to 38^ bushels per acre. 



Now it would be interesting and certainly important if we 

 could ascertain the cause of the diversity which appears in the 



