50 



N. H. Agri. Experiment Station 



[Bulletin 298 



intermitteutly has continued until the present. Later on, probably 

 about 1885, mining of mica and feldspar in several sections of the area 

 furnished employment to local farm people and brought in new fam- 

 ilies. 



We have at hand no quantitative data as to the extent of the timber 

 or mining influence in this area in drawing people away from agricul- 

 ture, but in other sections of the State the development of factories has 

 had a profound influence on the agriculture and the people.^ 



No doubt these opportunities for work ot¥ the farm had a different 

 appeal to men in different circumstances. The man at the end of a 



ait 



Us 



Ui 



N 

 (J 



o 



o 



10 2^0 



iO 40 %0 60 10 



XMEEP^ #I2E or tLOCK^ 



• 189 







100 



lJl^rTPIE>UTION of WASlk^S ^r XIZE of f lOCIC/«'»'' liEI^D^ 

 DOI^CHr#TEP ia40 



Fig. 9. Each dot repi-esents an individual farm. The fai'ms with more than 

 10 animal units appear above the dotted line. Evidently in the early periods 

 individual farmers had developed well beyond the self-sufficing stage. About 

 one-third had more than 10 animal units listed on the tax inventory. Since 

 only cattle above 18 months and sheep above 6 months were listed, the actual 

 numbers would be larger. Note that three flocks of sheep 

 numbered 143, 189, and 239 respectively. 



mountain road with small fields and little resources could well afford 

 to work for wages. When this work ceased locally, he would be quite 

 ready to follow the job to some other location in preference to return- 

 ing to his small unproductive farm. The assumption is common that 

 in a declining agriculture the more resourceful and abler people are the 

 first to move out. In this instance it is probable that at certain periods 

 the less resourceful were attracted awaj^ from local farms and that at 

 other times the ablest sought better opportmiities elsewhere. Aban- 

 donment of land according to productivity and the migration of people 

 according to ability have not been as "liquid" as some theorists have 

 supposed. 



The impact of this migration of young people might not register 

 fully upon the agriculture for a number of years. The movement was 



^ Harry C. Woodworth, "Nute Ridge," New Hampshire, University Ex- 

 tension Service, Extension Circular 68, April, 1927. 



