﻿176 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  that 
  year 
  the 
  State 
  owned 
  1142.9 
  square 
  miles, 
  of 
  which 
  861.1 
  

   square 
  miles 
  were 
  situated 
  within 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  

   park. 
  In 
  1897 
  the 
  Forest 
  Preserve 
  Board 
  was 
  created, 
  consisting 
  

   of 
  three 
  members, 
  whose 
  duties 
  were 
  to 
  acquire 
  for 
  the 
  State, 
  by 
  

   purchase 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  land, 
  structures 
  or 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  territory 
  

   embraced 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  park. 
  Under 
  this 
  act, 
  purchases 
  

   were 
  made 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  park, 
  between 
  May, 
  1897, 
  and 
  

   January 
  1, 
  1900, 
  amounting 
  to 
  497 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  total 
  owned 
  

   by 
  the 
  State, 
  therefore, 
  in 
  the 
  park 
  in 
  1900 
  was 
  1358.1 
  square 
  

   miles. 
  There 
  are 
  101.1 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  improved 
  lands 
  within 
  the 
  

   lines 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  park. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  proposed 
  to 
  purchase 
  

   these 
  lands, 
  although 
  if 
  any 
  should 
  be 
  abandoned 
  or 
  offered 
  for 
  

   sale 
  at 
  woodland 
  prices, 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  purchased 
  for 
  reforesting. 
  

   The 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  plateau 
  is 
  mostly 
  worthless 
  for 
  agri- 
  

   culture. 
  Over 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  frosts 
  occur 
  in 
  

   every 
  month 
  except 
  July, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  cultivate 
  any 
  of 
  

   the 
  cereals 
  except 
  oats, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  crops 
  of 
  

   the 
  lowlands. 
  Hay 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  crop. 
  The 
  region 
  generally 
  

   is 
  valuable 
  only 
  for 
  forestry 
  and 
  water 
  storage. 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  Forest 
  preserve. 
  The 
  following 
  area, 
  with 
  small 
  deduc- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  previously 
  noted, 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  Forest 
  

   preserve 
  : 
  

  

  Square 
  miles 
  

  

  Essex 
  county 
  1,926 
  

  

  Hamilton 
  county 
  1,745 
  

  

  Warren 
  county 
  968 
  

  

  St 
  Lawrence 
  county 
  2,880 
  

  

  Franklin 
  county 
  1,718 
  

  

  Herkimer 
  county 
  1,745 
  

  

  Clinton 
  county 
  1,092 
  

  

  Fulton 
  county 
  544 
  

  

  Lewis 
  county 
  1,288 
  

  

  Oneida 
  county 
  1,215 
  

  

  Saratoga 
  county 
  862 
  

  

  Washington 
  county 
  850 
  

  

  Jefferson 
  county 
  1,868 
  

  

  Total 
  18,701 
  

  

  