﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  37 
  

  

  out 
  very 
  forcibly 
  by 
  Risler's 
  experiments, 
  that 
  hay 
  crops 
  depend 
  

   more 
  on 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  rain 
  than 
  on 
  temperature; 
  thus, 
  in 
  1867, 
  

   when 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  months 
  was 
  the 
  lowest 
  but 
  the 
  

   rainfall 
  high, 
  the 
  meadows 
  yielded 
  abundantly, 
  while 
  in 
  1868, 
  

   with 
  a 
  high 
  temperature 
  and 
  medium 
  rainfall, 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  because 
  the 
  soil 
  had 
  water 
  in 
  reserve, 
  the 
  drains 
  con- 
  

   tinuing 
  to 
  liow 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  that 
  year. 
  

  

  Taking 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  foregoing 
  data, 
  the 
  writer 
  prepared 
  a 
  

   table 
  giving 
  the 
  per 
  cent 
  that 
  each 
  crop 
  actually 
  raised 
  in 
  1850, 
  

   was 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  in 
  the 
  county 
  assigned 
  to 
  forest 
  area, 
  

   fallow 
  land, 
  etc., 
  each 
  in 
  its 
  proper 
  area. 
  Similar 
  data 
  have 
  

   been 
  prepared 
  for 
  each 
  census 
  period 
  to 
  1890, 
  inclusive. 
  From 
  

   such 
  tabulation 
  it 
  was 
  learned 
  that 
  in 
  1850 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  wheat, 
  

   rye, 
  oats, 
  barley 
  and 
  buckwheat 
  was 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  whole; 
  

   Indian 
  corn, 
  2 
  per 
  cent; 
  potatoes, 
  0.7 
  of 
  one 
  per 
  cent; 
  long 
  grass, 
  

   16 
  per 
  cent; 
  short 
  grass, 
  20 
  per 
  cent; 
  fallow 
  land, 
  orchards, 
  peas, 
  

   beans 
  and 
  miscellaneous, 
  11 
  per 
  cent; 
  and 
  forest, 
  40 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   Without 
  giving 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  1860, 
  1870 
  and 
  1880, 
  we 
  may 
  pass 
  

   to 
  1890, 
  in 
  which 
  year 
  the 
  following 
  percentages 
  were 
  found: 
  

   Wheat, 
  rye, 
  oats, 
  barley 
  and 
  buckwheat, 
  7.9 
  per 
  cent; 
  Indian 
  

   corn, 
  0.7 
  of 
  1 
  per 
  cent; 
  potatoes, 
  1.6 
  per 
  cent; 
  long 
  grass, 
  20.8 
  

   per 
  cent; 
  short 
  grass, 
  33.5 
  per 
  cent; 
  fallow 
  land, 
  orchards, 
  peas, 
  

   beans, 
  miscellaneous, 
  25 
  per 
  cent; 
  clover, 
  1.5 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  

   forest, 
  9 
  per 
  cent. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  forest 
  area 
  had 
  

   changed 
  from 
  40 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1850 
  to 
  9 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1890. 
  Taking 
  

   Risler's 
  data 
  as 
  a 
  basis, 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  easily 
  computed 
  that 
  wheat, 
  

   rye, 
  oats, 
  barley 
  and 
  buckwheat 
  would 
  require 
  9.2 
  inches 
  of 
  

   water 
  on 
  the 
  actual 
  area, 
  cropped 
  to 
  fully 
  supply 
  their 
  demands 
  ; 
  

   Indian 
  corn 
  would 
  require 
  12.2 
  inches; 
  potatoes, 
  4.3 
  inches; 
  long 
  

   grass, 
  19.3 
  inches; 
  short 
  grass, 
  15.4 
  inches; 
  fallow 
  land, 
  peas, 
  

   beans, 
  orchards 
  and 
  miscellaneous, 
  12 
  inches; 
  clover, 
  12.9 
  inches, 
  

   and 
  forest, 
  3.6 
  inches. 
  Proceeding 
  on 
  this 
  line 
  it 
  was 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  that 
  in 
  1850, 
  the 
  total 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  

   area 
  of 
  Wyoming 
  county, 
  required 
  to 
  fully 
  support 
  vegetation 
  

   as 
  it 
  existed 
  in 
  that 
  year 
  amounted 
  to 
  10.17 
  inches; 
  in 
  1860, 
  it 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  11.15 
  inches; 
  in 
  1870, 
  to 
  11.89 
  inches; 
  in 
  1880, 
  to 
  

   13.24 
  inches, 
  and 
  in 
  1890, 
  to 
  13.57 
  inches. 
  Hence, 
  the 
  conclusion 
  

  

  