A. Reservoir vs. Non-Reservoir Towns 



An attempt to measure the influence of these trends in the reservoir 

 towns will be made by comparison with conditions in nearby towns. Several 

 types of data are available for towns, particularly the number of roughage- 

 (onsuming livestock. Data on livestock are collected amiuall) by towns for 

 taxing purposes. A comparison of trends in the number of livestock in 

 towns affected by the projects, and those adjacent, provides one means of 

 estimating the general trend of agriculture in the area. Basically, the num- 

 l.'er of roughage-consuming livestock would indicate the general movement 

 of land and other resources into and out of agriculture, since the areas in 

 question were and are in dairying for the most part. Sheep and beef cattle 

 are relatively unimportant. Horses must still be considered in pasture and 

 hay utilization, although they are now used mostly for woods work and 

 riding, rather than as farm work animals. 



Towns included in the comparisons, covering the years 1935-1953, in- 

 clusive, are listed below: 



Project 



Reservoir Towns 



Adjacent Towns 



Franklin Falls 



Blackwater 

 Surry Mountain 

 MacDowell 



Franklin 

 Hill 



Sanbornton 

 New Hampton 

 Bristol 



Webster 

 Salislnirv 



Surry 



Peterboro 

 Hancock 

 Harrisville 

 Dublin 



Tilton 



NorthfielH 



Meredith 



Ashland 



Bridgewatcr 



Alexandria 



Danbury 



Andover 

 Warner 



Gilsuni 

 Alstead 



Jaffrey 



Marlborough 



Roxbury 



Nelson 



Temple 



Sharon 



Data on livestock were taken from annual reports furnished to the New 

 Hampshire State Tax Commission and are summarized in Figures 2 and 3. 

 These data were totaled and converted to mature cow equivalents on the 

 basis that a cow, horse, ox, or meat animal is equivalent to one and a 

 sheep equivalent to one-fifth. 



Figures 2 and 3 indicate similar general downward trends in the number 

 of livestock in the reservoir towns and those adjacent. For towns affected 

 by the Franklin Falls and MacDo'A-ell projects, the rate of decrease during 

 the period is relatively greater in the reservoir towns, while for Surry 

 Mountain and Blackwater, the reverse is true. 



29 



