IN THE CATSKILLS 



naturalist ; the book in which it is all written is 

 open before him night and day, and how sweet and 

 wholesome all his knowledge is! 



The predominant feature of farm life in New 

 York, as in other States, is always given by some 

 local industry of one kind or another. In many 

 of the high, cold counties in the eastern centre of 

 the State, this ruling industry is hop-growing; 

 in the western, it is grain and fruit growing; in 

 sections along the Hudson, it is small-fruit growing, 

 as berries, currants, grapes; in other counties, it is 

 milk and butter; in others, quarrying flagging-stone. 

 I recently visited a section of Ulster County, where 

 everybody seemed getting out hoop-poles and mak- 

 ing hoops. The only talk was of hoops, hoops ! Every 

 team that went by had a load or was going for a 

 load of hoops. The principal fuel was hoop-shavings 

 or discarded hoop-poles. No man had any money 

 until he sold his hoops. When a farmer went to 

 town to get some grain, or a pair of boots, or a 

 dress for his wife, he took a load of hoops. People 

 stole hoops and poached for hoops, and bought, and 

 sold, and speculated in hoops. If there was a corner, 

 it was in hoops; big hoops, little hoops, hoops for 

 kegs, and firkins, and barrels, and hogsheads, and 

 pipes ; hickory hoops, birch hoops, ash hoops, chest- 

 nut hoops, hoops enough to go around the world. 

 Another place it was shingle, shingle; everybody 

 was shaving hemlock shingle. 

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