424 Agricultural Manual 



During the next five years settlements sprang up in various 

 parts of the county, made largely by people from New England. 

 Growth and development were greatly retarded by difficulty of 

 access and fear of the Indians. 



After the old " ridge road'' was built in 1816 a daily stage 

 line was put into operation, and until the construction of the 

 Erie Canal all travelers through this section followed this then 

 famous route. With the close of the "War of 1812 came increased 

 settlement; the Erie Canal gave an impetus to business, and 

 progress then became rapid and continuous. 



The village of Brockport was the scene of the early experi- 

 ments by Cyrus McCormick in the manufacture of reapers. 



DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY 



The early inhabitants devoted themselves to general agriculture 

 and to the growing of wheat. The opening up of a market for 

 the sale of ashes and black salts w 7 as a timely aid to the new 

 settlements, as it brought many into the county and also promoted 

 the clearing of land. When wheat became unprofitable by reason 

 of western competition, the farmers ventured into stock raising 

 and the cultivation of hemp and tobacco. Attention has since 

 been turned to a diversity of crops, hay being produced in all 

 the towns to some extent. 



Grain and fruit are veiy generally produced, and, according 

 to the 1918 census, the county leads in the production of wheat 

 and in pears and plums. Fruit raising is especially prominent 

 in the towns bordering Lake Ontario and others extending ten 

 or twelve miles back from the lake. Monroe County stands 

 second in potatoes raised, the towns of Henrietta, Rush, and 

 Mendon leading in their production. Ogden and Chili raise 

 large quantities of cabbage. Garden seeds are extensively 

 produced in the town of Greece. The evaporated fruit business 

 has become very important, especially in Webster and other large 

 fruit-producing towns. With the growth of the city of Rochester 

 and its consequent demands, market gardening and the production 

 of milk have come to receive a large share of attention throughout 

 the towns near the city. The Irondequoit section north of the 

 city is one of the largest vegetable-producing sections in the state. 



