1154 EARLE V. HARDENBURG 



Five soil series are principally concerned in the area studied in Steuben 

 County, as shown by figure 129. Nearly half of the crop of 1912 was grown 

 on Lordstown silt loam, which gave a higher average yield than any other 

 series. In elevation this soil series is next to the Volusia series, which is 

 found only at the highest elevations. Tho both of these soil series are 

 naturally low in fertility, the highest average yield was obtained on the 

 Lordstown series, while the lowest average yield was produced on the 

 Volusia series. The soils on the hilltops are largely derived from shale and 

 sandstone; the valley soils, altho naturally higher in fertility, contain 

 more stone and gravel. 



Relatively long and fixed rotations are used in Steuben County, the com- 

 monest being potatoes, oats, hay two years. Frequently the sod is left 

 until long past its profitable stage for hay, with the result that the humus 

 content remaining for the potato crop to follow is seriously depleted. 

 Farms on which the sod was left down for the shortest period of years 

 showed the highest yield, and vice versa. Sometimes wheat followed 

 oats in the rotation, giving two successive years of grain. The wheat was 

 used as the nurse crop. These farms showed a higher average yield of 

 potatoes than did the farms using only one year of grain. This may have 

 been due to the additional residual fertilizer left from the second year of 

 grain, or possibly to production on better soil than is ordinarily devoted 

 to potatoes. Buckwheat, in which Steuben County ranks second according 

 to the United States census of 1909, is commonly used to follow old sod 

 land that is being broken for potatoes or to break virgin land recently 

 cleared. On the smaller potato farms, corn for grain or silage is grown in 

 the rotation with potatoes. 



Land values are as low in Steuben County as anywhere in New York, 

 for much of the land is infertile and rough, and little of it has been sold 

 or rented in recent years. The estimated values ranged from $25 to $80 

 and more an acre, the average being about $50. The average size of the 

 farms surveyed was 145.8 acres, 10 per cent of this being in potatoes. The 

 per cent of total crop acres per farm in potatoes was 18'. The average 

 yield per acre on the 360 farms surveyed, which represented a total of 

 5301.1 acres of potatoes, was 136.4 bushels. 



MONROE COUNTY ^ 



The potato section of Monroe County covers most of the region east, 

 west, and south of Rochester. Potatoes are an important crop on most 

 of the farms south of the fruit belt that extends across the northern border 

 of the county abutting on Lake Ontario. Excellent railroad facilities pro- 

 vide transportation for the marketing of the crop, loading stations being 

 located on the New York Central, the Lehigh Valley, the Delaware, 

 Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the Buffalo, Rochester, & Pittsburg 

 Railroad. 



