AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 199 



Mountains and the thickly settled and thoroughly 

 cultivated districts. It does not thrive on thin, 

 light or very sour soils, but eliminating these ex- 

 tremes it seems to be very tolerant of variations in 

 soil. It is considered to indicate strong durable 

 soil. 



Over twenty-five thousand farms, or nearly 13 

 per cent of the total number, reported a total of 

 nearly 5,000,000 maple trees in 1909. Vermont has 

 for some time led in the production of maple sugar 

 and Ohio in sirup, but in the total of both, New 

 York ranks first. 



The largest producing counties are those of the 

 southern plateau region. It appears to be a mar- 

 ginal industry that stands midway between intensive 

 farm practice and abandonment to straight forest 

 purposes. The sugar grove is most common where 

 the farm woodlot is a large factor on the farm, where 

 there is a considerable amount of waste land, not 

 steep and rough, but stony and difficult to till or 

 remote from the homestead. 



