13 



Green river in Great Barrington, Konkapot river in Siieffield, 

 Guelder Hollow in Egremont, the alluvial lands in Lee, and the val- 

 ley of Great Barrington as well as parts of Richmond, Hancock, 

 and Williamstown, and other parts of the county equally deserve to 

 be named, can have no question of the abundance of vegetable mould, 

 and the eminent fertility of much of this favored territory. 



5. Markets and Manufactures. — In an agricultural view 

 the county of Berkshire is singularly favored in respect to its climate, 

 its soil, its water, its capacity of production, and its vicinity to mar- 

 kets. By the great lines of communication now in the course of 

 construction, and which concentrate in this county, it will be brought 

 into much nearer communication with the great marts upon the sea- 

 board. With the exception of pork, which has usually gone to 

 Hartford, and in some rare instances to Boston, the produce of 

 Berkshire beyond what is demanded for their manufacturing popula- 

 tion, goes to New York. The Hudson is reached from almost any 

 part of the country in a distance of thirty-five to forty miles ; and 

 from all the points on that magnificent thoroughfare of wealth and 

 population, the city of New York is reached in a few hours. 

 The immense consumption of this great city, this insatiable con- 

 sumer, demands all the contributions which can be poured into it, 

 for use or traffic. 



The greater part of the population of Berkshire are occupied in 

 the pursuits of agriculture. The establishment of manufacturing 

 villages creates a demand for the products of agricultural labor, and 

 a permanent and certain home market is established for the supplies, 

 which the farm will furnish. The manufactures bearing directly up- 

 on agriculture, are those of woollen cloths and paper. The number 

 of pounds of wool used by the factories in the county from the re- 

 turns of 1 837, appears to have been 875,957 lbs. The amount of tea- 

 sels purchased by these same manufactures is not ascertained. The 

 quantity of paper manufactured amounted in value to 333,000 dollars. 

 What amount of this was in paper made from the straw of oats or 

 rye cannot be determined. " In 1857," an intelligent farmer of 

 Lee writes me, " about five hundred tons had been used in their 

 manufactures. Wheat, rye, and oat straw, if not rusted, was used 

 indiscriminately, and was purchased at the mills at ^5 per ton." The 

 advantages to agriculture of the latter kind of manufactures, and of 



