SECRETARY'S REPORT. 181 



ever poor and ill-treated, and they sowed largely on soil too poor 

 for any other crop to germinate, and this with no application of 

 manure of any kind. This plan was followed successively, as it is 

 now in the newer parts of the county, and as a consequence the 

 land is worn out, and it will require a long time, large quantities 

 of manure, and a considerable amount of money to renovate it. 

 If oats are to be sown, let the ground be well prepared ; for, if an 

 exhausting crop is to be grown, the land should of course be well 

 dressed and prepared in a thorough manner. 



Occasionally oats are much damaged by rust. It has been thought 

 that long periods of wet or dull weather caused rust in grain ; but 

 this is not the case. It is due to the presence of a living worm, 

 of so small dimensions as to be unobserved without the aid of a 

 microscope. It is said that a single leaf or blade of oats is some- 

 times found to contain hundreds of them. The establishment of 

 this fact opens an interesting and extensive field of study to the 

 entomologist or naturalist, inviting investigation upon a subject 

 but little explored. 



Oats, if cut before they are fully ripe, and made considerably in 

 the field, will yield as heavy as if cut later, and the straw makes 

 an excellent forage for cattle. It is a fault in management, that 

 farmers neglect their grain and allow it to get too ripe before it is 

 harvested. 



Eye was grown more in former years than it is now. By the 

 census of 1850, the value of this crop was estimated at $8,931.25. 



Previously, winter rye was sown upon burnt land, but it is now 

 more commonly grown upon a summer fallow, deeply tilled. This 

 crop requires a deep, rich loam, and it is also occasionally sown 

 after corn. The first of September is the usual time for sowing, 

 yet some sow as early as the middle or last of August. If sown 

 early, it gets a luxuriant growth during the fall, and is also more 

 apt to spread than if sown late, hence less seed can be used if it 

 is put in early. The quantity of seed applied upon an acre varies 

 from one and a half to three bushels. It is sometimes pastured 

 in the fall with sheep or young stock, and where the growth is 

 vigorous, with but little injury to the crop. It should not, how- 

 ever, be fed too close, as the liability to winter-kill will be greater. 

 The average yield per acre may be put down at twenty bushels. 

 The price of rj'e is governed somewhat by the amount and value 

 of Indian corn ; more usually being above, than below, the price 

 of corn. In the more northern part of the county, where corn is 



