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UNIV. OF N. H. AGR. EXPERIMENT STATION 



[Bulletin 217 



mand. The second part takes up the general agricultural situation and 

 then deals with the specific agricultural enterprises that seem to present 

 the greatest opportunity for change with profit to the farmer. 



Consuming District. 



There are no large industrial centers in Cheshire County. Keene, the 

 only city, had a population of 11,210 in 1920, according to the United 

 States Census; and the next two largest towns, Walpole and Jaffrey, had 

 populations of 2,553 and 2,303 respectively. Twenty other towns, each 

 containing at least one village, made up the remainder of a county pop- 

 ulation of 30,975 in 1920. 



The development of agriculture is closely related to that of industry, 

 since the latter serves as a market not only for farm produce, but also for 

 farm labor. Small factories are located in many of the villages; and most 

 of their employees produce a part of the farm products they consume, 

 often living on nearby farms where they keep a few cows and chickens, 

 have a garden, and perhaps cut enough hay for their own livestock during 

 vacations or in the mornings and evenings. Village residents generally 

 have gardens and a few chickens which help out their food supply during 

 the local harvest season. A large number of industrial employees are, 

 therefore, joint producers of manufactured and agricultural products. 



The residents of Keene, however, are more dependent upon piuchases 

 of farm produce; and the quantity they demand is influenced Ijy the 

 growth of the city, and the size and stability of their income. These 

 trends of growth and stability of income as indicated by population, 

 bank deposits and postal receipts, are shown in Figure 1. 



Population. 



The population of Cheshire County has remained nearly the same in 

 numbers for the last one hundred and thirty years. The decrease of 

 farmers has been replaced by an increase of workers in mills and manufac- 

 turing plants. There has also been a slight shifting in the population of 

 different towns of the county. Keene and Jaffrey show a steady increase 

 since 1900, while most of the other towms show a slight decrease. 



The industrial development of this area has brought in some foreigners, 

 although the proportion to total population is not large. In 1920 the 

 census classified the population of Cheshire County and of New Hamp- 

 shire as shown in Table I : 



Table I. — Population of Cheshire County and of New Hampshire. 



