Ulster County 735 



there are irregular ridges and numerous isolated peaks whose sides 

 and summits are too steep and rough for cultivation. These peaks 

 rise from 1,500 to 5,000 feet above the Hudson, Slide Mountain, 

 in the town of Shandakcn, being the highest point. 



Esopus Creek flows through the northern part and empties into 

 the Hudson. Rondout Creek enters the southwest corner of the 

 county and flows northeast along the west side of the Shawangunk 

 Mountains, entering the Hudson at Kingston. Its principal tribu- 

 tary is the Wallkill River, which flows along the east side of the 

 Shawangunk Mountains. 



The soil is generally a good quality of sandy, gravelly loam, 

 occasionally intermixed w'ith clay. The valleys are covered with a 

 deep rich alluvium. 



DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS 

 Denning: The surface is a broken and mountainous upland. 

 The streams are the head branches of Rondout Creek and Never- 

 sink River. The valleys are narrow and are bordered by steep 

 rocky hillsides. The soil on the uplands is gravelly loam and in 

 the valleys a sandy loam. 



Products : Butter, eggs, buckwheat and lumber. 



Average values of farm land range from $5 to $50 an acre. 



Esopus : The surface is rolling in the east and moderately hilly 

 in the west. Wallkill River and Rondout Creek form the west and 

 north boundaries. The soil is a light clayey loam. It was on the 

 farm of Robert L. Pell in this town that the celebrated Newtown 

 apple was first raised to its greatest perfection and marketed most 

 successfully both here and abroad. 



Products: Apples, pears, plums, cherries, small fruits and 

 poultry products; also potatoes and grain. 



Average values of farm land range from $10 to $350 an 

 acre. Orchards are valued at from $250 to $800 an acre. 



Gardiner : The surface is rolling in the east and hilly in the 

 center and west, the Shawangunk Mountains extending along the 

 western border. The Wallkill River flows northeast through the 

 center, receiving Shawangunk Kill from the southwest. The soil 



