6 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The genial weather of spring, with all the conditions favora- 

 ble to farm labor and to rapid growth of vegetation, led to high 

 expectations of a fruitful and prosperous harvest. It was a 

 warm May, a hot June, a scorching July, a broiling August. 

 No rain fell for many weeks to lay the dust. A drought began 

 with the summer solstice, increasing in' severity very rarely, if 

 ever, equalled in the whole history of New England. Farmers 

 suffered for want of water, and the cattle panted from thirst. 



The crop, of course, felt the effects of the drought. The 

 grass in the pastures dried up, and the mowing stubbles were 

 burned by the sun. Indian corn, among the best of cultivated 

 plants to test the qualities of the season, actually died out on 

 many an acre, and the root-crops ceased to grow on ordinary 

 upland soils and many of them died about the middle of sum- 

 mer, the rains arriving so late in September that they failed to 

 revive them in season to enable them to make much growth, 

 though such of them as survived the dry weather unharmed 

 made a wonderful progress later in the season. 



When plants lie steadily dormant for many weeks of dry 

 weather, they seem to preserve a greater degree of vitality till a 

 period favorable to their growth arrives, than if they are sub- 

 jected to occasional fluctuations by the occurrence of more or 

 less showers, lifting them, for a time, partially out of their dor- 

 mant state. In other words, a persistent dormancy, even if 

 long continued, appears to be more favorable to the preserva- 

 tion of a good degree of vitality than a dormancy interrupted 

 by repeated revivals of growth. 



Still, most farm products suffered severely from the peculiari- 

 ties of the season, though fruits of most kinds were abundant, 

 ripening earlier than usual, and decaying more readily, on 

 account, perhaps, of maturing so early. 



Notwithstanding these characteristics, it was a year of general 

 hcalthfulness among the people, and among farm stock. No 

 fatal epidemics prevailed to decimate our herds. Towards the 

 close of the year, however, the foot and mouth disease was intro- 

 duced by cattle brought from beyond our limits, and spread 

 with great rapidity. The action taken by the authorities, 

 designed to check its progress, will appear in the following 



