SECRETARY'S REPORT. 171 



I know of extensive intervals in the county, which, with an annual 

 irrig-ation, yield from two to three tuns of hay jDcr acre each year, 

 and this hay is sold off, and no return whatever made to the land ; 

 yet it produces as large crops of as excellent quality of hay now 

 as it did fifty years ago. Even if the crops are not sold from the 

 interval, see what a source of wealth it must be to that farmer who 

 possesses it. It demands no manure, and the dressing from stock 

 kept upon it can all be applied to higher portions of the farm, 

 which need constant returns for the crops taken therefrom. It is 

 a matter of much importance to prevent the deterioration of inter- 

 vals situated so high that they cannot be flowed by the river upon 

 which they are situated. On such lands the better grasses are apt 

 to run out and their place superseded by those of an inferior qual- 

 ity, or by moss and noxious weeds. The finer grasses flourish best 

 in moist soils, but a wet one is destructive to them. Hence, the 

 first step towards improvement is to drain or ditch in order to keep 

 the surface free from water. Harrowing in early fall is found bene- 

 ficial to meadows, and affords a good opportunity to sow new seed, 

 and thus have a succession of young plants. Lime and ashes form 

 an excellent top-dressing for this kind of land. In many cases the 

 annual application of a bushel of plaster per acre, is made with 

 good results. 



III. The renovation of our worn out pastures is a subject in 

 which every farmer in the county should be interested ; for pas- 

 ture land, like that whiclx is tilled, will not continue unimpaired in 

 fertility for a series of years, unless something is put on to supply 

 the deficiency of that which is constantly carried away. There 

 are in the county many hundreds of acres that have been used as 

 pastures ever since they were first cleared, and which formerly 

 produced good feed, but are now growing up to scrubby bushes, 

 being covered with mosses, and yield but a scanty supjoly of in- 

 ferior pasturage. It is often the case that these lands are so rocky 

 and broken as to be unfit for plowing, or so remote from the farm 

 buildings as to be incapable of tillage. 



It will be seen at once that the method of restoration will de- 

 pend much upon the character of the land. If it is full of stag- 

 nant water, which will consequently check the growth of the 

 better sorts of grasses, and produce wild plants and coarse water 

 grasses, it will require drainage, if this can be done without too 

 great an expense. If the land admits of working, it can be plowed, 

 manured and re-seeded ; if not, a top-dressing of plaster, leached 



