( >.\kii>\ ( (»r.\TY 473 



The lowest part of the county is near Oneida Lake, while the 

 highest points are Tassel Hill, 1,944 feet above sea level, in the 

 southern part of the town of Marshall; and Perm Mountain, 

 1,80G feet above sea level, in the northern part of the town of 

 Steuben. 



The eastern part of the central valley is drained by the 

 Mohawk flowing east and the western part by Wood Creek flow- 

 ing west. This valley affords a natural road from the Hudson 

 to the great lakes and is the lowest pass through the Appalachian 

 Mountain system. The Mohawk rises on the northern border of 

 the county and flows in a southerly direction to Rome, where it 

 turns to the southeast. Its principal tributaries are Ninemile 

 Creek and Lansing Kill from the north, and Sauquoit and 

 Oriskany creeks from the south. Black River flows across the 

 northeast corner of the county; East Canada Creek forms a por- 

 tion of the east boundary ; the head branches of the Unadilla and 

 Chenango drain the southern border, and Oneida, Wood, and 

 Fish creeks drain the western part. Oneida Creek extends 

 several miles along the west border. In the extreme northeast 

 corner are several small creeks and ponds. 



The soil in the northeast is light and sandy. The central 

 valley, one of the most fertile portions of the state, has a soil of 

 sandy and gravelly loam and alluvium mixed with lime and 

 gypsum. The highland region south of the river has a soil com- 

 posed of clay and sand and gravelly loam. 



The valuation of land varies considerably, not only in dif- 

 ferent parts of the state, but in different sections of the same 

 county. In Oneida County, for instance, good farms within easy 

 reach of railroads, or on or near state roads are valued at from 

 $75 to $250 an acre; those on county roads at from $50 to $150 

 an acre, and those more remote from railroads and on dirt roads 

 at from $10 to $75. Sections less favorable for farming, includ- 

 ing sand plains, etc., are valued at much less. Land in the 

 southern part of the county, being generally smoother and more 

 productive, sells at a higher price than land in the northern 

 part. 



