426 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



In 1837 they had 7,000 sheep, yielding $7,500 worth of 

 wool; they had 31 forges ; they employed 74 vessels in the 

 whale fishery, with 1,897 men engaged ; of sperm and wliale 

 oil they imported to the amount of $1,114,012, and manu- 

 factured $515,663 worth of sperm candles, and $1,873,199 

 of whale and sperm oil, — all together employing over 

 $5,000,000 of capital, — and they made 6,500 oil casks, 

 employing 67 men. 



In 1840 they raised 591 bushels of corn, 4,525 bushels of 

 potatoes, 867 tons of hay, and dairy products to the amount 

 of $11,065, besides growing and reeliug 1,000 pounds of raw 

 silk, worth $9,000. 



In 1845 they had 77 vessels engaged in the whale fishery, 

 which brought in oil to the value of $915,000, and $10,000 

 worth of whalebone. The value of the manufactured oil was 

 $1,279,817; of candles, $214,645; and of soap, $7,800; 

 they made 300,000 pounds of cordage and $40,000 worth of 

 casks; they had 7,500 sheep and $4,000 worth of wool; 

 they had of horses 442; of neat cattle of all kinds, 1,053, 

 and 1,300 hogs; of corn they raised 500 bushels; of 

 potatoes, 6,000 bushels ; beets and vegetables, $1,400 worth ; 

 of hay, $42,000 worth ; and they made 30,000 pounds of 

 butter, sold at twenty-five cents per pound ; while at the 

 same time, in the four western counties of the State, ten 

 cents was the going price, and a niuepence per pound the 

 top of the market. 



In 1855 the people of Nantucket had but 44 vessels em- 

 ployed in the whale fishery; imported but $397,563 worth 

 of oil ; made of manufactured oil only to the amount of 

 $768,529; $17,000 worth of sperm caudles, and $2,170 of 

 soap. 



Their sheep numbered but 1,200, producing less than 

 $1,200 worth of "wool; horses, 346; oxen and steers, 112; 

 cows, 548; heifers, 205; of corn they grew 7,980 bushels; 

 of potatoes, 7,776 busliels ; of turnips, carrots, onions, 

 beets and other vegetables, $14,886. Their hay amounted 

 to $42,581. Of butter they made 24,152 pounds, valued at 

 $7,155.60, or within a fraction of 30 cents per pound, w^hile 

 in all the western counties it was sold at 18 and 20 cents. 



