40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



The value of these establishments is estimated at $38,355,000 

 and they furnish employment for over 18,000 persons. 



At the date of the organization of this Society, there were in 

 the whole United States, so far as can be ascertained, but one 

 dozen nurseries for the propagation of vines, fruit trees, shrubs, 

 and shade and ornamental trees. To-day there are in the whole 

 country 4510 of such nurseries, giving employment to 27,787 

 men and women and to 14,200 horses. These nurseries are 

 valued at $41,978,000— occupy 172,806 acres of land and have 

 an invested capital of $52,425,000. 



On the best estimate that can be made, based upon the con- 

 sensus of the nurserymen, the grand total of plants and trees is 

 over 3,000,000,000 of which 518,000,000, and some odd thousand 

 are fruit trees, 685,000,000 and some odd thousand are grape 

 vines and small fruits, and the balance, nut, deciduous and ever- 

 green trees, hardy shrubs, and roses. 



Grape culture, which, including the products of the grape — 

 raisin and wine making — has become a great industry, represent- 

 ing a total value in lands, improvements, machinery, &c., of 

 $155,661,000 and furnishing employment to 200,780 persons, has 

 had if not its birth, at least its almost entire development 

 during the past half-century. 



In New York, the first shipment of grapes for the New York 

 market from the Lake Keuka District, was made in 1845, and 

 consisted of fifty pounds shipped by the way of the New York 

 and Erie Canal. A shipment the next year of 200 or 300 pounds 

 overstocked the market and there was no sale. In 1890 there 

 were shipped from the same district to New York and other cities 

 of the east 20,000 tons or 40,000,000 pounds of grapes. The total 

 product of grapes of the entire country for 1889, was 572,139 

 tons or more than a thousand million pounds. 



The raising of vegetables for the market has likewise within 

 the same period grown into a mighty industry, in which capital 

 to the amount of $100,000,000 and upward is invested — the 

 annual products reaching to upwards of $76,000,000 and realized 

 upon a little over half a million acres of land. 



Celery and the tomato, which at the beginning of the half- 

 century were but little known to the general public, arc now 



