328 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



[Jan. 



men, lawyers, etc., have gone to the larger towns, and the farmers 

 now go to the larger places to trade. 



All this has tended to greatly decrease the population of what 

 are more strictly farming districts, but this does not necessarily 

 show any decline in agriculture. In fact, my belief is, that Con- 

 necticut grows much more now, and does it more profitably than 

 under the old condition of things. Connecticut Agriculture is not 

 declining ; i\ns little State can to-day show a most honorable record. 

 So far as grain-growing is concerned, there is, on the whole, a de- 

 cline, for the reasons shown. But even here the decline is not so 

 great as is popularly supposed. For convenience, let us tabulate 

 our chief grains, as returned at the several periods of National 

 Census. We have now five such enumerations, covering 41 years. 

 The chief grain crops are corn and oats. The figures, in bushels, 

 are: — 



Corn has not materially declined for forty years; and oats not 

 so much as is popularly believed. Next follow rye and buckwheat, 

 both grown in smaller quantities, and both show greater decline. 



Each of these have declined to about one half, but what rye 

 has lost in bushels, it has perhaps more than gained in the increased 

 value of the straw; indeed, the crop is probably grown mqre for 

 the straw in this State, than for the grain. The figures for wheat 

 and barley, are: — 



1839, 

 1849, 

 1859, 

 1869, 



1870, 



