534 Agricultural .Manual 



sand and gravel, is elevated twenty to thirty feet above the lower 

 plateau, to which it descends with a uniformly gentle slope. 

 There is a similar slope on the south side of the ridge, although 

 in many {daces the general level is nearly as high as that of the 

 ridge. From the earliest settlement of the county the ridge road 

 has had its course over the summit of this ridge. 



The second plateau is gently undulating and four to six miles 

 wide. This ridge, entering from Niagara County, runs nearly 

 east through the townships of Shelby and Barre, and south and 

 east through Clarendon. In the towns of Shelby and Clarendon 

 the ridge has steep slopes, but in Barre its ascent is gradual. 



The upper plateau is undulating, rising gently for about two 

 miles to the culminating ridge. For about two miles further the 

 surface is quite level, then gradually descends to the Tonawanda 

 swamp on the south border of the county. 



The principal streams are Oak Orchard, Johnson, and Sandy 

 creeks, which rise in or near the Tonawanda swamp and flow 

 north and east through deep channels to the lake. 



The soil north of the ridge road is generally sandy or gravelly 

 loam, except near the lake, where a heavier clay loam soil predomi- 

 nates. In the southern part of the county a large proportion of 

 the area has a limestone soil. Extensive Medina sandstone quar- 

 ries are located at Holley, Fancher, and Albion. 



DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS 



Note: Land values in Orleans County do not include buildings. 



Albiox : The surface is undulating, and the soil is a rich loam. 

 Within this town are four canning factories, including the Burt 

 Olney Canning Company. There is also a new ketchup factory, 

 which is one of the most modern and largest of its kind. Three 

 large cold storage plants are capable of holding nearly 200,000 

 barrels of fruit. A large number of western lambs are fed in this 

 township each winter. 



Products: Apples, pears, peaches, winter wheat, canning 

 crops, corn, field beans, hay, dairy products, sheep and 

 swine. 



Average values of farm land range from $75 to $175 an acre. 



