Essex County 293 



Mountains, where Mounts Clark, Hamlin, and Bassett, all reach- 

 ing an elevation of more than 2,000 feet, are the highest points. 

 The extreme south contains a number of the Adirondack peaks, 

 rising to heights of more than 3,000 feet, wild and picturesque, 

 and surpassed in grandeur by few sections of the entire county. 

 The East branch of the Ausable River is the principal stream. 

 The soil is chiefly a light, sandy and gravelly loam, which in the 

 valleys is vigorous and fertile. On the tablelands, which extend 

 in parallel ridges through the entire town, the soil is highly pro- 

 ductive. Iron is abundant and there are small veins of black 

 lead. 



Products: Cora, oats, potatoes, hay, alfalfa, buckwheat, 

 fruit and garden products. 



Average values of farm land range from $10 to $50 an acre. 



Keexe: The surface is almost entirely occupied by the Adi- 

 rondack Mountains, leaving but little arable land. Keene has 

 most of the loftiest peaks in the state. The highest is Mt. Marcy, 

 5,344 feet in height. Others are Skylight, Haystack, Basin, 

 Gothic and Colden, varying in height in the order named from 

 4,920 to 4,738 feet. A number of beautiful lakes lie at the foot 

 of some of these mountains. The Hudson River rises in this town 

 at the foot of Mt. Marry. Iron is found in numerous veins along 

 the Ausable River. The valley is very narrow and subject to 

 freshets. 



Products: Potatoes, hay and oats. 



Average values of farm land range from $20 to $75 an acre. 



Lewis: The surface is rough and broken by precipices, hills, 

 and narrow valleys. Less than half the territory embraced within 

 the limits of this town is susceptible of cultivation. Saddleback 

 and Jay mountains are the most prominent peaks in the north- 

 west. Xumerous beds of iron ore have been found. The soil is a 

 sandy and gravelly loam. 



Products: Alfalfa, hay, corn, oats and potatoes. 



Average values of farm land range from $25 to $60 an acre. 



Minerva: The surface is a high, broken upland bordered by 

 mountain ridges on tho northwest and southeast. The inter- 



