and bantering. We should know the cost of our articles, and should endeavor as far as possible to fix our own prices, instead of always asking the dealer what he will give. By a ready combination of enterprise, fat cattle, sheep and hogs, may be marketed by the car load, thus securing cheaper freights. And everything should be sent off in such condition as to secure a reputation for reliable superiority, which will command for us a readier and better market.

In the production of wool, neighborhoods should reduce their flocks to a somewhat even grade at least, and should put up their fleeces in the most marketable manner, without an exception, and offer the product in such bulk as to make it an important object to the mauufacturer, to whom we should endeavor to sell directly, and the nearer home the better.

10. We should more generally associate ourselves with agricultural societies, and support them by word and deed, and if such organizations have not been as useful as desirable in the past-offering small inducements, as some think, for co-operation—their usefulness will be greatly increased by large accessions to their ranks.

TABLE showing a Comparison of the Principal Agricultural Products of Onondaga County for the Year 1850-55 and 1860.

Work- Other Cows. Butter, Cheese, Horses. Mules. Swine. Sheep. Wool, Wheat, ing cattle.

lbs.

bu.

lbs.

lbs.

The ninth annual fair of the Orleans County Agricultural Society was held at Albion on the 15th and 16th days of September, 1865, and was the most successful of any fair ever held in our county.

The address before the society was delivered by the Hon. Horace Greeley, of New York.

The amount of receipts during the current year, exclusive of the State appropriation, was $1,382.04, to which is to be added $99.82, being surplus on hand, making $1,481.86; and the disbursements, including premiums paid and $750 paid on mortgage upon the society's grounde, were $1,465.15, leaving a balance in the treasury of $16.71.

The annual meeting of the society was held on the 2d Monday of December inst., and the following officers were elected: President, Clark Hall, of Barre; Treasurer, Cyrus Farwell, of Albion; Secretary, Geo. P. Leonard, of Albion; Corresponding Secretary, A. B. Bailey, of Albion; also, VicePresidents and Directors. GEO. B. LEONARD, Secretary.

OSWEGO.

To B. P. JOHNSON, Esq., Cor. Sec'y of State Ag. Society:

In pursuance of your instructions, in a circular addressed to me as a county committee for the county of Oswego, to collect and transmit to you such information in relation to the agriculture of this county as would have a tendency to advance its interests, and place this county on record as being in rapid progress and improvement in this important branch of industry, I submit the following report:

Early in September I procured a reprint of the circular you sent me, to which I added an explanatory note of my own, and sent it to fifty prominent persons in the several towns in this county, who I had every reason to believe would answer those questions promptly and intelligibly. Up to this time I have received only fifteen responses. I am satisfied after the three experiments that have been tried to collect agricultural statistics by voluntary action, that nothing short of legislative enactments, making it the duty of some local officer to collect the desired information, will ever produce the desired results.

It is surprising to see how small a percentage of the farmers of this county, considering its population, wealth and enterprise, are willing to devote a moiety of time to enable your committee to spread before the agriculturists of the State interesting facts relating to its progress. I had designed taking up the towns separately, but the meagre returns I have received will not allow of it. I shall, therefore, speak of the county as a unit, except such discrimination as is necessary, from the nature of things. This county was formed in 1816, and is centrally distant from Albany 135 miles, and contains an area of 1,038 square miles. Its surface is generally undulating, with a series of bluffs immediately on the lake. The general inclination is northerly, as indicated by the drainage, which in the west and south, is principally through the Oswego river, and the north and east portions through Salmon river, and many other small streams that flow directly into the lake.

The highest range of land is in Redfield, which is 1,200 to 1,500 feet above tide. It is exceedingly well watered, and trout abound in all its streams. There is about 270,000 acres of improved land, and 390,000 acres unimproved. The western half of the county, skirting Lake Ontario, is mostly improved, while the great amount of unimproved land lays in the eastern half, bordering on Lewis and Oneida counties. Dairying is the staple branch of agriculture in the western and north part of the county; and the manufacture of leather, glass and lumber employ a large amount of capital and labor in the southeastern part. This county, until within a few years, was rather isolated, and its increase in wealth and population was very slow. The primitive forests were heavy, and in many parts largely mixed with hemlock, spruce and pine, which severely taxed the early pioneers. Much of the land, when cleared, was not very productive until it could be worked with the plow. Soon after the emigration began to flow into this county rapidly, an error was committed by the proprietor of the land by advancing the price, which sent the tide of emigration to the "Holland purchase," which was then just thrown into market at a less

price. This foolish act retarded the settlement some ten years, while taxes and interest on unsold lands devoured his estate, and left him poor in his advanced years. If his policy had been a moderate price and quick sales, a princely fortune awaited him. Time has shown that no lands in the State improve more by well working than those of Oswego county, being eminently a grazing county, and well adapted to dairying, by soil, climate and water; and if farmers will carefully save and apply all the fertilizers the land produces, without waste, and act upon the principle that what is worth doing at all is worth well doing, this county will soon rank among the first class of counties in the State. The opening of the Oswego and Welland canals gave Oswego city great commercial and manufacturing advantages; and in the manufacture of flour and starch she ranks equal to any place in America, if not in the world. The Syracuse and Oswego railroad on the western border of the county, the Rome and Watertown railroad on the eastern border, and the Oswego and Rome railroad, just completed, connecting Oswego with the Rome and Watertown railroad at Richland, passing through the centre of the county east and west, gives superior advantages for market for all kinds of farm produce.

The population of this county is 76,200, the greater portion of which is engaged in agriculture; and the increase of population the last ten years is 6,802. The dairy stock of the county numbers about 25,000 cows, and may be doubled whenever farmers shall see their interest in that direction. Allowing $40 to a cow, which this year is a low estimate, the product of the dairy would amount to $1,000,000 for 1865. The dairy business has been created mostly within the last twenty years. Previous to that time the butter exported was mostly known as "store butter;" but a small amount of cheese was then made, and that was traded off at the stores, who packed it for market. The factory system has wrought a great change in the manufacture of cheese, diminishing the quantity of butter in the vicinity of factories in proportion as the quantity of cheese is increased. There are about thirty-five factories in this county, working the milk of about 9,000 cows into cheese. These factories have sprung up within three years, with every prospect of an increase in future years. The factory system is prejudicial to raising stock to recruit the dairy, an evil which will be seriously felt for some years to come, except some new means are devised to furnish the supply. The increased demand for beef, occasioned by the late war to put down the rebellion, has diminished the amount of stock of all kinds throughout the county. It will take several years of careful breeding to fill up the vacuum thus made.

Another important question is being discussed, in which farmers have a deep interest, that is farm labor. This war has depleted the ranks of laboring men very much, and those who have returned have improved in the wrong direction.

The young men coming on to the stage of action just now seem to have a strong aversion to agriculture, and think that after all the trades and professions are filled, the residue is good enough for farmers. If there is any one branch of industry more than another that needs reading and thinking minds, men of observation, perseverance and forethought, it is agriculture. It needs men of skill and science. A nation's prosperty rests

on it, and no nation prospers where agriculture does not. Under skillful management, the products of English agriculture have increased wonderfully during the last fifty years. The same can be done in this State with well directed labor. Shall this noble pursuit, that feeds and clothes the millions of earth, sink into disrepute, because a few of our young men in buckram prefer to measure tape or lounge at hotels; despising the yeoman who produces for him his daily food.

The chief agricultural products of this county is grass. Farmers suffer more from a short crop of grass than from any other crop. The grass crop of 1865 was full an average for the last five years, and of good quality.

The condition of other important products is as follows: The product of the dairy, for 1865, was never better. I believe this county exported ten per cent more butter and cheese than in any former year, and of an improved quality. From the most reliable information I can obtain, the exports of cheese in 1865 was 1,500 tons, and 700 tons of butter.

There are three flax mills in this county. The proprietors of them have practised hiring land fitted at about ten dollars per acre, finding the seed and harvesting the crop at their own expense. I think the amount thus sown, and that sown for individual use, will be full 1,000 acres in 1865. An acre of fair flax will give about 400 pounds of lint and ten bushels of seed.

The crop was

Hops are grown to a limited extent; perhaps 150 acres. short and of poor quality. The hop aphis was very destructive. But few individuals have ever made it a paying business. This county is not adapted to hop raising except in some few localities. The town of Hastings has twenty acres of hops, averaging 500 pounds to the acre, varying in price from ten to fifty cents per pound.

Sorghum has received but little attention. On its first introduction a large number of farmers had their "patch" to try it. There was not interest enough taken in it to warrant any one to erect suitable works to manufacture the syrup, so its culture has gone by default except some few localities. The south part of the town of Hannibal had fifty acres last season, which produced from 50 to 150 gallons of syrup per acre. It is better for cooking than for the table. A much larger breadth will be planted next season. It succeeded better than was anticipated. There is no locality in the county so well adapted to its culture as the above.

The fruit business has been on the wane for the last ten years. Peaches, which were once raised quite extensively in Scriba, Oswego, Granby and Hannibal, on the borders of Lake Ontario, have almost entirely failed. The old stock of pear trees were destroyed by the black knot. Considerable attention has been paid to the culture of the pear during the last five years, around the villages and in sheltered localities. The dwarf pear is mostly cultivated. It cannot be raised to make it a paying business for export. Plums have not been cultivated with any success. Almost every farmer has his grape vine, but few produce more than for their own table. The list cultivated, embraces all the hardy, standard grapes.

Apples are the leading fruit of the county, and any other one of the fruits cultivated could be better dispensed with than the apple. It is used in a greater variety of ways, and will keep longer than any other fruit. I

once kept some Roxbury russets sixteen months after picking, free from decay. The apple tree has suffered severely from premature decay. In some instances whole orchards have perished. Sap blight is one of the causes. Sometimes you will see decay on the extremity of a branch; it soon follows down to the trunk, and the tree is gone. Many farmers are setting out new trees to keep up the supply of fruit. The apple crop this year was more abundant in choice fruit than ever before, at least a larger amount was exported. Perhaps the high price brought them out.

The eastern part of the county is not as well adapted to the culture of the apple as the western part. The towns on either side of Oswego river, and on the lake west of Oswego, are well adapted to its culture. I have no data of the amount of apples exported in 1865, but presume 15,000 barrels would be a safe estimate.

.

Strawberries receive considerable attention for an inland county. · What local market exists is well supplied. Wines are made in a very limited quantity as an experiment.

The increase in the number of acres under tillage varies from one to twenty per cent in different towns in the last five years. The decrease in the number of animal stock the past year is full ten per cent. This is owing mostly to the increased demand to support the army in the late war. Not much attention has been paid to thorough breeding. A few small herds of Short-horns and Devons, with a few Ayrshires, constitute the improved stock. There are grades of these several breeds, but not very plenty. No special improvements in the breed of cattle are in progress. The grade Durham is superior for beef, and is preferred for the dairy over the full blood. The improved native stock is most approved for the dairy. Morgan, Black Hawk and Messenger horses, are among the leading breeds; each having their admirers and merits. The rage for the light Black Hawk is on the wane, except as light roadsters. They are too light for the draft horse.

Sheep husbandry is of a mixed nature in this county, comprising all the various breeds, from the common native sheep, with the least imaginable amount of wool for the shearer to clip, to the South Down, Leicestershire, Yorkshire, and Infantado merino. Each man has the best breed for his use. Rearing of sheep is a secondary business. There are a few fine flocks, of prime quality, but a great portion of the wool is of ordinary grade. The decline in the price of 'wool, and the high price of mutton, has reduced the number of sheep full twenty-five per cent in 1865. South Down stands. pre-eminent for mutton, while the admirer of fine wool chooses the merino. Graded sheep are most approved, as being more hardy, for this climate. The difference in price between fine and grade wool, is not equal to the difference in the cost of production, Grade sheep sell more readily for the

shambles.

Swine like sheep, include a great variety of breeds. Large numbers of stores are imported from Canada, many of them are very inferior animals, and not profitable to breed from; but the scarcity of swine has made such breeding a necessity. A large majority of the swine are of the native breeds. Yorkshire, Berkshires, and Suffolks, comprise the better breeds.