NEW YORK. 



247 



of the lakj commerce, and its harbor is as thronged with steamboats and all manner of water 

 craft, as its streets are with travelers, emigrants, and men of business. It is one of the most 

 active and bustling places in the country, and is rapidly growing in importance. In 1820 its 

 population was 2,100, at present it is 20,000, inclusive of Black Kock, which is connected with 

 it by a railroad, and contains the great western basin of the Erie Canal. The number of arri- 

 ^'als of lake vessels, in a single year, has amounted to 1,800, and upwards of 5,000 boats have 

 cleared on the canal in the same period. There is no other important town on the lake, but 

 tne harbors of Dunkirk and Portland have been improved by artificial works, and are beginning 

 to be seats q|" trade. 



5. Agriculture. Three fourths of the inhabitants of New York are engaged in agriculture, 

 but not more than one fourth of the land is under cultivation. In 1810, the State government 

 made provision for the formation of County Societies, for the promotion of agriculture and 

 household manufactures. A general board of Agriculture was organized, consisting of dele- 

 gates from the county societies. This board have published various memoirs relating to hus- 

 bandry, and the county societies expend annually a large amount in premiums. Wheat is the 

 most important article of culture. Maize, rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp, &c. also receive 

 attention. 



The great wheat district of the State commences in the valley of the Mohawk above tlie 

 primitive spur at Little Falls. This district, comprehending the central portions of Oneida 

 County, extends westward to the lakes, and is bounded northwaixl by the north ridge of the 

 valley and by Lake Ontario, and southward by a line verging southwest from Uiica to the 

 mouth of the Cattaraugus Creek at Lake Erie. This is the garden of the State, including the 

 rich Seneca Vale and the far-famed Genesee Country. Portions of this district are sandy, and 

 in others the rock rises too near the surface, whilst others are not abundantly watered ; but 

 taken as a whole it is not surpassed by any district of equal extent in the United States. Here 

 artificial manures are rarely used, and indeed rarely needed. In the newly cleared lands, the 

 richness of the mould and of the sub-soil is all that the farmer requires ; in tracts long cleared, 

 deep ploughing, blending the mould and the soil, preserves the former, and turns up the latter 

 to disintegrate, and thus to yield its calcareous matter. 



Amount and Value of Improved Lands and Live Stock in 1825 and 1835. 



Acres of Improved Land, 



Neat Cattle, 



Hog3, ....... 



1825. 



1835. 



Number. 



Value. 



Number. 



Value. 



7,lG0,0r.7 

 1,513,421 

 349,628 

 3,496,539 

 1 ,467 ,.573 



$ 179,024,175 

 15,1.34,210 

 17,481,400 

 5,244.808 

 4,403,719 



9,6.55,426 

 1,885,771 

 524,895 

 4.261,765 

 1.. 554 ,358 



$ 241,385,650 

 18.1-57,710 

 26,244,750 

 6,392,647 

 4,663,074 



Totals, 1 1 $ 2-21, 288,312 





$ 297,543,831 



6. Commerce. The admirable situation of this State for commerce may be perceived by 

 casting the eye on the map. The internal trade is assisted by the great lakes which form its 

 northern boundary, and by the canals which open a communication wilh them through the cen- 

 tre of the country. The commerce of New York is, therefore, on a great scale, as, beside 

 supplying her own wants from abroad, and exporting her surplus produce, she imports a large 

 share of the foreign articles consumed in most of the Atlantic and Western States, and her 

 great commercial emporium is the outlet of much of their surplus produce. The value of 

 imports constitutes about three fifths of that of the whole country, and her foreign exports are 

 about one fourth of the whole exports ; the former amounts to about 80,000,000, the latter 

 to 25,000,000 annually ; the shipping exceeds 450,000 tons. The internal river and canal 

 trade, and the coasting trade, both with the north and the south, are of much greater value. 

 The lake commerce on Lakes Champlain, Ontario, and Erie, with Montreal and Quebec, Ver- 

 mont, Upper Canada, Michigan, and the west in general, is very extensive, and rapidly increas- 

 ing. T'le number of vessels on Lake Erie, which in 1817 was 25, now exceeds 400, including 

 about 40 steamers and several ships. 



7. Manufactures. There are numerous incorporated manufacturing companies in this State, 

 and their condition in general, is highly prosperous. Their establishments are distributed 

 throughout the whole territory, and are chiefly occupied in xhe manufacture of Vv'oolen rnd cot- 



