186 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



^OL. 



Fvom tUe . !aiisaclioi:s<irthe New Yo:U State 

 Asricultuial Socirty. 



AGRICULTURE OF MADISON COUNTY. 



Mndieon county embraces fourteen towns, and con- 

 tnins 532sqiitire miles, or 327,000 acres of land, and 

 40,032 inhabitants, 



Tlie Eiirface of this county is much diversified. The 

 elevated ridge which sepnintes the waters of the north- 

 ern laltee irom those of the Susquehannnh river, pas- 

 sing through the southern part, renders it, with the 

 middle, more or lees hilly and uneven. These hills, 

 Iiowover, ore not eo steep as to lie unfit for cultivation, 

 and the valleys are extensive and very fertile. The 

 nonhern section of the county is generally more level. 



The county is well watered by streams in almost 

 every part, and in the northern towns of Sullivan and 

 Leno-X large masses of gypsum and water limestone, 

 with some iron ore, are found. Common limestone 

 is Bcattcied in abundance over all the middle and 

 noiibern towns. 



The Erie canal and the Utica and Syracuse railroad 

 pass through the upper, and tiie Chenango canal inter- 

 sects the lower part of the county, affording free out- 

 lets for all her products. 



Soil. — The fertility of the soil is very great; in 

 deed it is supposed, in that particular, to be surpassed 

 by but few counties of the State ; and there is but lit. 

 tic land within its boundaries that is not well adapted 

 to cultivation. 



The northern parts are mostly of a limestone soil, 

 except the low bottoms, which are sandy, and the mid 

 die and southern sections may be designated as of a 

 day loam, based upon shale, or slate roclt. It is a fact 

 worthy of remark, that this county seldom sulTers 

 from want of rain. 



Productions — The northern part of the county be- 

 ing generally level, is admirably adapted to the growth 

 of wheat and corn. 



The centre and more elevated parts produce large 

 quantities of wheat, barley, oats, corn and hops, and 

 ilie southern parts grow hops, barley, corn, oats and 

 potatoes, i i wlrich loiter crop they excel the other 

 parts of the county, both in quantity and quality. 



The soil is almost every where natural for grass, 

 the crops averaging from one and a half to two tons 

 per acre, of a superior (jualiiy, mostly i.pland. And 

 this, with but a small outlay, might be eas.ly increas- 

 ed to from 3^ to 3 tons. 



The wheat lands, under good management, g.vc 

 from 20 to 2i Luilielri per acre ; bailey 35 to CiO ; and 

 oats from 40 to 70 bushtla ; in some cases coining up 

 even to 100 bushels per acre. Large quantities of 

 peas are also grown. 



The production wdl appear more accurately by re- 

 ference to tic returns of the census of ls40, in which 

 year Mndison county was shown lo have raised 

 200,242 bushels of wheat. 

 J.'i5,62S do barley. 

 343,207 do oats. 

 ]71,204 do corn. 

 *i76,GI0 do potaiuee. 

 370,024 pounds of wool. 

 117,270 do hope. 

 21,"), 619 do sugar. 

 C5,7-'9 tons hay. 

 Butler and cheese to the amount of .5;tn;!.C70. 



Which, together, at the low prices of 1840, yield 

 theamiuntof ,'gl,3;!),345. 



Markets. — The farmers of this county usually find 

 n market for their produce with the merchants of the 

 villages, who in turn send it to the city of New York. 

 The cattle fattened for market are driven to Albany 

 and New York city ; and those for grazing are sent 

 to Philadelphia, and the farms along the North river. 



Cul'.irnlion. — Attention to agriculture has been 

 gialually incron:ing in this county; there is, how- 



ever, yet much room for improvenientT But latle im- 

 portance ia attached to regular systems or rotation ol 

 crops. Wheat is raisrd al'tcr summer fallow wiih two 

 or three ploughings, and the pome crops are frequent- 

 ly allowed to succeed each other. 



The manure from stables is put generally upon the 

 laud, and plaster ;i also applied to winter grain and 

 grass ; but as yet very little value is attached to ma- 

 nure, and no methods are taken to increase it. Lime 

 is seldom employed, although it is admirably adapted 

 to the soil, and composts are unknown. There ap 

 pears, however, to be a genera! awakening to the Im- 

 portance of the subject. 



Draining, particularly that under ground, has been 

 partially attempted, but not to any extent, though 

 the soil in many paits would be much improved 

 thereby. 



Of g'ass seeds, clover, timothy and redlop are 

 used, the latter on interval lands liable to be flowed. 

 Clover is seldom sowed alone, licing usually mixed 

 with timothy. 



Top dressing grass lands is occacionally praclised, 

 and with great benefit. 



The profitable practice of cutting nr chopping straw 

 for feeding stock inoy be said to be hardly known. 

 S:raw is generally stacked out, and cuttle allowed to 

 take what they want of it. It ia also used for litter- 

 ing horses, but there are instances where it is hauled 

 away froln the buildings and burnt to get rid of it 1 



The cast iron plough of various constructions, with 

 cultivators, harrows of diflbrent kinds, horse rakes, 

 rollers, &c. &c., are in use, but few of the new im- 

 provements in agricultuial implements arc found here, 

 unless perhaps occasionally a sowing machine. 



Animals. — The hordes of this county are very good, 

 strong, ol good elZii, well made and admirably adapt- 

 ed to all farming purposes ; but they cannot be desig 

 naied as of any particular strain of blood. 



The breed of neat cattle is also excellent ; cows 

 on fresh summer feed, giv ng, in some instances, 25 

 quarts of milk per diem, and generally from lo to 20. 

 Blooded cattle have not been introduced to any extent 

 as yet. This county, however, nt the late fair of the 

 Slate Agricultural Society at Syracuse, was among 

 the surc^stful conipetil 'S for premiums in that line. 

 Dioversfrom the east say that they find about the best 

 of cattle in this county and neighborhood. 



In swino but little pains have been taken. The 

 pork of this county is, however, very good, and- in 

 many insiancea Bcrksliires iiave been successfully 

 crossed with the (so called) native breed. 



The sheep of the county are generally Merino and 

 Sa.xony. Formerly large lljcks of lull blooded ani- 

 mals of these breeds were fiiind throughout the coun- 

 ty, but now they are more inixed ; attention nut hav- 

 ing been paid to keeping them separate. 



Except by some few of the best farmers, no pains 

 are taken tu shelter slieep in winter. They are hep j 

 usually in flocks of from 71) lo 100, and from 300 to 

 1000 on n farm. The southern part of the county 

 has been much alflicted with the rot or"footail," 

 which breaking out in large Hocks where the same at- 

 tention could not be given as lo smaller ones, did 

 much damage. It is however, now rather diminish- 

 ing. As to ihe cause, farmers here, os elserthcre do 

 not ogrea, each one having a theory of his own, 



liy the census bufiire referred to, it appears there 

 were in the county in 1840, 



fi,3."i8 horses and mules. 

 42,191 neat cattle. 

 166.G16 sheep. 

 o!\G.57 swine. 

 Viituc of Land — Land in this county may be said 

 to rise in value from $10 to $100 per acre, generally 

 I averaging from $20 ty $50 ■ and the size of farina w 



unge funii 5U to GUU nuicb; lor the most pail com- 

 prising from 100 to loO acres each. 



Timber. — The prevailing timber of the northern 

 part of the county is maple, beech, oak and pine ; 

 iind of the middle and southern sections, maple, beech, ' 

 oemlock and bass. There is, however, ihroii!;boul, 

 Q great variety, comprising walnut or hickory, ash, 

 birch, elm, spruce, while cedar, chestnut, fir, butter- 

 nut, poplar, balsam, whitewood and sycamore. 



In conclusion : with regard to the ''changes neces- 

 sary to advance the agricultural prosperity of the 

 county," it may be said, that the general diirusion of - 

 agricultural intelligence and disposiiion to seek for , 

 and lake advantage of the improvements adopted by ' 

 others, is all that is wanting to [ilsce this county in the 

 rank which the bounty of nature has intended it to 

 assume. 



For this purpose no better means can be devised 

 than attention to the difl";ient agrieuliural periodieala , 

 now published ; which, from the extreme low price of 

 subscription, are available to every farmer however 

 small his means. The Genesee Farmer or the Cul- 

 tivator should be in ihe hands of every one. These 

 contain the results of the experience of our neiohbors, 

 and affording the means for the gem^rol inlcrcbange of 

 ideas, cannot be too highly prized. 



The Agricultural So/riety of the courty, also, which 

 has been but lately established, will, it is hoped, do 

 much towards its advancement. 



We add a second account of the Agriculture of 

 Madison County from an experienced hand. 



The county ofMadison contains a diversity of soils, 

 and may be said to vary much in its climate ; as the 

 northeily part, between the Erie canal and the Oneida 

 lake, is in general only between 3.5U an'l 400 feet 

 above the level of the tide waters, while the central 

 and southerly, and sQulhvvcslcrly pr.ris rise in ranges 

 of hills to the height of from 1600 to ISOO feet above 

 the level of tide waters. There is always a marked 

 difference in the time of the ripening of grains and 

 the general maturing of crops between the lower and - 

 more elevated parts of the county — always being earli. 

 er in the noi them and lowest [lart, Tiie lands from 

 the Orieida lake south to the Erie canal are level, ihe 

 lake being only about 4.5 feel lower than the long or 

 Utica level of the canal, and nie generally a rich alln- | 

 viul soi', some distiicts of which are well adapted to 

 the culuire of the dllVerent kinds of grains, and nil, 

 or most of it, is considered a great grasi growing dic- 

 trict. Immediately south of the Erie canal, generally 

 ihe land commences to rise untii it lerminaiei in the ' 

 elevations before mentioned. A belt of land south of 

 ihe Erie canal for some distance as it lises in the vi- 

 cinity of the lime and gypsum formations, p.issing 

 ihrough the towns of Sullivan, Lenox and Slock 

 fridge, ia undoubtedly the best wheat disiricl in the 

 cnuiity, and also excellent for all ether grain crojia. 

 There Is anoiher disliiet of land, diflerent from the 

 lands of the county generally, and may be termed 

 table land, and is of a general elevation of SOU feet 

 above the Erie canal at Utica. This section of land 

 mmmences in the east and nnriheastorly part of ihs 

 iQwn of Madison, passing west and south. westeily 

 quite through the town into the easterly part of ihe 

 town of Eaton ; thence moro southerly ihrough the 

 west and southwest part of Maaison, east ond s uitU- 

 east parts of Eaton, west part of Hamilton and cast 

 partol Lebanon, to ihc south line of the county, and ; 

 passes into ihe county of Chenango from Hamilton, 

 foiraing the northern entrance of the Chenango val- 

 ley. All of this district of land (or principally) is a 

 very deep and porous loam and gravel soil ; some parts 

 iondy loam and gravel, and is o strong and fertile soil, J 

 and JJ prculinrly adapted to Indian i-om, which lir.» J 



