Schenectady County 633 



navigation. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 gave an 

 added impulse, large quantities of merchandise being sent here 

 for shipment to avoid the more circuitous route between Schenec- 

 tady and Troy. 



Schenectady was the terminus of the first two railroads in this 

 state — the Albany and Schenectady, which was opened in 1831, 

 and the Saratoga and Schenectady, which was completed two years 

 later. The city has since developed rapidly, especially since the 

 establishment of extensive manufactories, including the American 

 Locomotive Works and the General Electric Works. 



DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY 



The earliest records point to the raising of corn. Dairying 

 became a prominent industry in very early times. The valley of 

 the Mohawk was extensively devoted to the cultivation of broom 

 corn for many years, producing in 1870 nearly half of the entire 

 broom corn crop of the state. 



The growth of Schenectady City has effected a complete change 

 in the agriculture of the county. In order to supply the demand 

 for milk a large number of farmers have changed from general 

 agriculture to dairying. Even within the last ten years, the town 

 of Niskayuna has developed a profitable garden industry that now 

 supplies, not only Schenectady, but also Albany, Troy, Cohoes, 

 and Watervliet. 



CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 



Climatological data for Schenectady County not being available, 

 a fair idea of general conditions for the county may be obtained 

 by consulting the records of Albany County (page 95). 



TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS 



The surface consists of a valley and upland generally broken 

 by ridges and isolated hills 200 to 350 feet above the river. The 

 highlands are the northern continuation of the Helderberg and 

 Schoharie mountains. The greater part of the surface is covered 

 with a thick deposit of drift, consisting principally of clay in the 

 west and sand in the east — the former productive, but the latter 

 of little value for tillage. The Mohawk River, Schoharie Creek, 

 and Xormans Kill are the principal streams, the valleys being 



