Agriculture. 183 



The tomato was introduced about fifty years ago under the 

 name of the " love apple," and as a curiosity, rather than as an 

 article of food. 



One of the most important crops grown by the farmer from the 

 settlement of the town to the present period (1893) has been the 

 hay crop. At first, nearly all the hay that the farmer had to feed 

 to his stock was salt hay and fresh meadow hay ; and this was 

 harvested so late in the season that its quality was very poor, 

 compared with what it is to-day, so the stock came out in the 

 spring very thin in flesh. 



In the year 1773 there were grown 1,735 pounds of flax in 

 town, and there were kept 177 yoke of oxen, 836 cows, 179 

 horses ; there were 670 acres of land under tillage, 2,051 acres 

 of mowing land, and 7,313 acres of pasture land. In 1749 there 

 were kept in town 3,162 sheep. 



PREPARATION OF THE SOIL AND CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 



The Indians in preparing the soil for a crop of Indian corn dug 

 it up a few inches deep, and fertilized it by placing in each hill 

 three little fishes (probably herring). This practice they taught 

 the first settlers, who followed it until oxen were introduced, 

 when the plough and ox labor were used instead of the hoe and 

 hand labor, and the manure of the cattle was used instead 

 of fish. 



For two centuries the farmers prepared the soil for hoed crops 

 by ploughing in the coarser portion of the barn-yard manure, 

 and using the finer portion in the hills, where the seed-corn 

 was dropped. Within fifty years it was almost the universal 

 custom to plant all annual crops that were grown in hills on land 

 in the same condition as the plough left it, except that a single 

 furrow was made every four feet with a small one-horse plough ; 

 in this furrow, at distances of about four feet, was dropped the 

 fine manure, upon which the seed was planted. Thus the crop, 

 as it started to grow, was surrounded by earth that was hard and 

 unfertilized, except what was at the bottom of the furrow. Under 

 such unfavorable circumstances it is not surprising that the crops 

 were small, when compared with those grown at the present day. 



About fifty years ago some of the more intelligent farmers be- 

 gan to prepare the land for the growth of crops by spreading the 

 manure broadcast, and mixing it with the soil by harrowing the 

 surface until it became loose and fine ; this was found to secure 

 better crops than the old practice of ploughing in a portion and 

 placing the remainder in the hill. 



In the year 1840 a small quantity of guano was brought into 

 this town, and being of a good quality, it was found to produce 

 wonderful results when used in small quantities ; but in a few 

 years the quality deteriorated so much that the farmers bought 



