No. 4.] ADDRESS OF AVELCOME. 15 



United States census of 1890 gave an increase to the number 

 of 38,G10. The United States census of 1890, as compared 

 with the State census of 1885, shows that of the twenty-six 

 towns comprising the county, the following named sustained 

 a small loss in population, and it is a significant fact that 

 many of them are not solely agricultural towns, so called : 

 Ashtield, Bernardston, Buckland, Conway, Deerfield, Haw- 

 ley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutes- 

 bury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell and Whately. ' 



At your last meeting held in this place there were reported 

 to be 3,956 farms in the county, with an average acreage of 

 88 ; while according to the United States census of 1890 

 there were 3,011 farms, with an average acreage of 111 ; 

 and of these 3,011 farms 2,823 were cultivated by the own- 

 ers, 100 rented for a fixed money value and 88 for a share of 

 products : thus showing that nearly 94 per cent of the farms 

 of this county are owned and tilled by the same person ; 

 and from these farms, containing 185,611 acres of improved 

 land, these same persons of indomitable will and perse- 

 verance produced in value of farm products in 1889 the 

 sum of $1,996,600, and the value of live stock on hand June 

 1, 1890, was $1,182,630. Of the domestic animals in the 

 county permit me to compare from the State census of 1875 

 and the United States census of 1890 : neat cattle, — 1875, 

 21,902; 1890,26,381; horses, — 1875, 4,098 ; 1890,5,474; 

 sheep, — 1875, 11,318; 1890, 12,361; swine, — 1875, 

 3,441; 1890, 8,202. Of the whole number of cattle re- 

 ported, viz., 26,381, 14,213 were milch cows, 1,270 work- 

 ing oxen, including steers, and 10,898 all others. 



The quality of the cattle of this county I can say without 

 fear of contradiction surpasses that of any other section of 

 the same area on this continent. The annual fairs of the 

 Franklin Count}- Agricultural Society testify to the truth of 

 the above statement. 



This increase in the number of cattle is largely due to the 

 increased demand for dairy products, produced in the county 

 with the most improved methods of manufacturing. There 

 are in the county seven creameries in successful operation, 

 working under the co-operative ])lan, collecting the cream 

 from dairies, leaving the skim-milk, which is indispensable 



