Essex County 289 



wood pulp in the manufacture of paper. With the development 

 of these interests came demand for further internal improvements, 

 especially for those facilitating travel and transportation, which 

 resulted in building railroads and improved highways. 



Along Lake Champlain the early fanners raised wheat exten- 

 sively. Rye and corn were also produced. 



Present-day farmers produce hay, potatoes, oats, barley, buck- 

 wheat, and spring wheat, ranking in the order named. Hay is 

 the principal crop along the Champlain Lake front. Limestone 

 soil being abundant throughout the county, legumes thrive par- 

 ticularly well. In the northern part, altitude, climate and soil are 

 well suited to oats and peas, largely used for silage. Experi- 

 ments prove beyond a doubt that alfalfa can be profitably grown 

 in every township of the county. 



The largest dairy interests are in the towns of Ticonderoga, 

 Crown Point, Moriah, West/port, Essex, Willsboro, and Jay. Al- 

 though ISTorth Elba is mostly forest-covered, it has the thirty-six 

 Lake Placid Club farms, seven of which are provided with excel- 

 lent modern dairy equipment. The principal live stock industry, 

 however, is that of sheep raising; out of approximately 2,300 

 farmers in Essex County, about 600 are owners of sheep. 



It is conceded that Mcintosh Ped and other hardy varieties of 

 apples reach greater perfection of color and flavor in the Cham- 

 plain valley than in any other section of the United States, climate 

 and other conditions being very favorable for their production. 



Potatoes, which frequently yield 300 bushels per acre, are also 

 profitably produced. The Lake Placid Club raises 10,000 bushels 

 yearly, and their seed potatoes have an excellent reputation. 



After a survey from Maine to Michigan, the United States 

 government established the first and only government experi- 

 mental fur farm in Essex County. Several private fur farms are 

 now successfully operated, notably near Keeseville and Lake 

 Placid. 



CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 



In Essex County the meteorological station is located at Lake 

 Placid Club, at an elevation of 1,864 feet. The present observer 

 is Henry M. Hoffer. 



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