338 Agricultural Manual 



rising from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above tide. From the main range a 

 spur of mountains extends through the county in a northwesterly 

 direction, separating the towns of Durham and Cairo from Wind- 

 ham and Hunter and dividing the county into two nearly equal 

 parts. This ridge is 2,500 to 3,000 feet above tide. An irreg- 

 ular line of bluffs extends .along the Hudson with an average ele- 

 vation of about 100 feet. Parallel to these bluffs and two to four 

 miles farther west is a range of hills 500 to 700 feet above the 

 river. Between this ridge and the east side of the Catskills the 

 surface is rolling or hilly, gradually sloping toward Catskill Creek. 



The principal streams are the Hudson River, which forms the 

 eastern border; Schoharie Creek and tributaries, draining the 

 west slope of the mountains ; and Catskill Creek and its principal 

 tributary, the Kaaterskill, draining the east slope. Small 

 branches of these streams flow through narrow, rocky ravines that 

 break entirely through the mountains and form passes locally 

 known as " cloves." In many places these ravines are bordered 

 by naked cliffs nearly perpendicular, and 1,000 to 1,700 feet 

 above the streams. 



The soil on the west slope of the Catskills is chiefly a reddish 

 gravel or shaly loam extensively underlaid by hardpan. The 

 surface is stony except along the streams, where the soil is fertile 

 and productive. North and east of the mountains there is a variety 

 of soil, including sections of gravel, clay, and sand loams. 



DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS 

 Ashland: The north and south borders are occupied by two 

 parallel spurs of the Catskill Mountains. In the north Hunters- 

 field Mountain attains an elevation of 3,450 feet; in the soutb, 

 Tower Mountain rises to a height of 2,080 feet. Batavia Kill 

 flows westward through the town at the foot of the southern range. 

 This stream is bordered on the north by steep bluffs 150 to 200 

 feet high. From their summits the surface gradually slopes 

 upward to the foot of the ridge near the northern border of the 

 town. The soil is principally a reddish shaly loam and stony 

 loam, fertile in tbe valleys and of poorer quality on the hills. 

 Products : Dairy products. 

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



