SECRETARY'S REPORT. . 271 



The society has opened a herd book, in which are entered all 

 the pure-blood, and grade stock, and a correct record will be 

 kept of the ages, pedigree, color and peculiar characteristics of 

 the animals. 



A committee of the society, consisting of three members from 

 each town, have the charge of looking up all the Ayrshire stock, 

 whether pure-bloods or grades, and seeing that they are recorded, 

 and also that no person violates the rules the society has made 

 in reference to this stock. 



There are about seventy-hvc grade heifers and steers in the 

 county. Of these we can only say, that they are fine, promising 

 looking animals, and a decided improvement on our old stock, 

 but they are all young, and their points and traits are to be 

 developed in the future. D. A. Cleaveland. 



TiSBURY, Jan. 25, 1866. 



PLYMOUTH. 



The soil of Plymouth County is generally light, and in some 

 portions sandy. A very general impression prevails that its 

 soil is barren, and almost universally sandy. This is true, to a 

 great extent, of the towns of Wareham, Carver, Mattapoisett, 

 Rochester and Duxbury, and of parts of Plymouth, Middlebo- 

 rough and Marshfield ; but there is some good land in all the 

 districts. 



In Lakeville and parts of Middleborough there are many good 

 farms and meadows, much of it strong land, naturally cold, but 

 capable of great improvement by under-draining and deep culti- 

 vation. We have no extensive river meadows in this county, 

 but on the borders of the streams running into the Taunton 

 River, in East and West Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Halifax and 

 Middleborough, and on the borders of the North River and its 

 tributaries, in Hanover, South Scituate, Scituate and Marshfield, 

 there are good meadow lands. In the town of Abington, on the 

 line of the Old Colony Railway, between South Abington an& 

 Hanson, watered by a stream from the celebrated pond by the 

 side of Picnic Grove, in Centre Abington, lie several hundred 

 acres of meadow land, which, by systematic draining, might 

 raise a thousand tons of good hay. Similar meadows arc found 

 between South Abington and East Bridgewater. We are 

 surprised that these lands are so long neglected. 



