114 



smaller being omitted for obvious reasons. Essex has 

 22 per cent, of wood land. Six counties have the same 

 or a smaller percentage; Hampshire the least, 13, while 

 Bristol has 48, and Plymouth 68 per cent. Essex gives 

 in 41 acres of unimproved land for every one hundred 

 of improved ; Middlesex 69, Norfolk 53, Bristol 59. 

 Plymouth 65, Franklin 54, Hampden 53, Worcester 45, 

 and Hampshire the least, 37. Proportioning the apple 

 trees to the improved acres, Essex has one tree to every 

 .41 of an acre ; Middlesex one to every .39 ; Norfolk 

 one to every .53 ; Worcester one to every .93, while the 

 other large counties have not one tree to an acre of land. 

 Essex reports the highest average in rye, is exceeded by 

 three counties in corn, ranks the fourth in oats, seventh 

 in English hay, ninth in barley, while ten counties ex- 

 ceed her in the average yield of potatoes. She had 319 

 acres in wheat — but two counties returned more. Had 

 she cultivated six acres more of onions, she would have 

 had as many acres as the rest of the State. About one- 

 fourth of the land devoted to turnip culture was in Es- 

 sex, and the same may be said of carrots. Worcester, 

 where the dairy is made a specialty, does not keep as 

 many cows as Essex, according to the acres of improved 

 land. A comparison in the returns of 1855 would be 

 more favorable for Essex, for since, she has fallen off in 

 some crops in which other coimties have gained. I am 

 induceed to make a more extended comparison with 

 Middlesex and Norfolk, since the advantages and inter- 

 ests of these counties have been similar, and since it has 

 been claimed by Middlesex men that her agriculture was 

 superior to that of Essex. 



ESSEX. 



Percentage of woodland, .22 



