364 [Senate 



AGRICULTURE OF EAST-WINDSOR, HARTFORD COUN- 

 TY, CONNECTICUT. 



/ 



BY HENRY WATSON. 



Benjamin P. Johnson, Esq. 



Deal' Sir : — Your circular as Corresponding Secretary of the New- 

 York State Agricultural Society was duly received. I will answer 

 some of your inquiries as correctly as is in my power. Agriculture 

 in this town and county is in a prosperous condition, as is plainly 

 shown by the improvements made in farm houses, barns, fences, gar- 

 dens, and indeed in every thing appended to the farm. 



The soil in this town and county varies from that of stiff clay, 

 worn out fields of blowing sand, and every intermediate soil, to that 

 of as good alluvial as there is in the world. Many and great changes 

 have taken place in the manner of cultivating the soil, as well as in 

 the crops cultivated. 



Indian corn, rye and tobacco, were the principal crops cultivated 

 to any extent, up to about 1790. Corn, horses, mules, beef and 

 pork were up to that time exported to the West Indies, and in return 

 were received the luxuries of life, sugar, molasses and rum. Tobac- 

 co and rye were shipped to Amsterdam, and the return cargo was 

 usually Holland gin. From 1790 till 1815, large quantities of kiln- 

 dried corn meal were exported from this country. From 1806 to 

 1815, hemp to a considerable extent was produced in this town, but 

 its cultivation is now abandoned. From 1795 till. 1820, but a small 

 quantity of tobacco was produced. The crops between those years 

 were principally corn and rye, which, with the exception of what 

 corn was kiln-dried, was consumed by about fifteen gin distilleries 

 then in the county. Now we have but five, which are supplied with 

 rye and corn from New-York. We do not now produce as much 

 rye, corn, oats, or any other grain, as is consumed by the inhabitants 

 and their domestic animals. Large quantities of tobacco have been 

 produced within the last twenty years in this town, and the cultiva- 

 tion of the weed is extending in this and the adjoining counties. 

 Teazles have for many years been successfully and profitably culti- 

 vated in this town and Weathersfield. Woad has been to a consider- 

 able extent successfully produced in this town for a number of years. 

 Wheat, sown after a crop of tobacco, has usually been more success- 

 fully cultivated than when following any other crop. Oats are pro- 

 fitably cultivated, and our lands are generally stocked with grass 

 seed with this crop. Buckwheat, though by many thought an ex- 

 hausting crop, has been cultivated for twenty years in succession on 

 the same lands without apparently exhausting the soil or diminishing 

 the crop. The only root crop that is considered worthy of attention, 

 and is now cultivated by the farmer who holds the plow himself, is 



