The land is laid down with some grain, either wheat, rye or 

 oats; and the grass-seed is sowed with the grain. Barley is 

 scarcely grown at all in the county. 



The clover predominates the first year ; the herds-grass 

 the second. The clover is nearly extinct at the end of the 

 second year ; and the red-top, intermixed with various natural 

 grasses, which spring up spontaneously, furnishes a permanent 

 matting to the soil. In general, not nearly enough seed, par- 

 ticularly of herds-grass, is sown. The consequence is, that 

 the product is very coarse the first and second year, which it 

 would not be, if treble the quantity of seed were sown. Sev- 

 eral farmers in the State, whose authority is entitled to respect, 

 practise a much more liberal mode of sowing ; and find an ad- 

 vantage in doing it in the improved quality of the hay. The 

 average yield the first year is from two to three tons ; the sec- 

 ond it may be estimated at two tons ; and for a continuance of 

 three years after that, in favorable seasons and locations, it may 

 be rated at one to one and a quarter ton per year. These lands 

 in general, are mowed once only in a season. There is an in- 

 stance in Conway, of a piece of moist land lying at the side 

 and foot of a hill, where the soil is deep, being a rich mould, 

 resting upon a substratum inclined to clay, on which by co- 

 pious top-dressings of barn manure, the product has been kept 

 up, and averages yearly nearly three tons to the acre. Of peat 

 lands, 1 know of no considerable tracts in the county ; and as 

 yet, no great attention has been paid to the draining, either by 

 open or under-ground drains, of wet lands. The quantity of 

 this kind of lands is not considerable ; but such improvements, 

 where required, would be amply compensated. 



The next quality of grass lands are the alluvions on the 

 Deerfield and the Connecticut rivers, and small patches on their 

 tributary streams. The alluvial lands on the Connecticut are 

 rarely over-flowed, excepting at the breaking up of winter ; 

 and they are, therefore, subjected to a course of cultivation the 

 same as other arable lands. The rotation on these lands is 

 commonly the first year corn, or potatoes with manure ; the 



