50 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. [March, 



the average yield per acre ; the quantity of seed sown to an 

 acre ; the kind of wheat sown ; the time of sowing ; the 

 nature of the soil ; the amounts and kinds of manure applied ; 

 the use of lime, gypsum, or ashes ; and any disease or accident 

 by which the crop was affected. For this purpose, prepared 

 blanks were furnished to the several towns by the Secretary of 

 State, and the returns made, with as much exactness as was 

 to be expected. 



From these returns, it appears, that the crops suffered almost 

 every where from drought. The season in this respect was 

 singularly unfavorable ; the summer having been one of the 

 hottest sum^mers upon record, and the drought severe, long- 

 continued, and universal. It appears, likewise, that the crop 

 suffered severely from the grain insect or wheat fiy — a scourge 

 which until recently was not known in this State ; but which 

 seems to have widely extended his devastations. There were 

 also many instances of smut ; and of blight from unknown 

 causes. 



It appears, also, from the returns, that there is scarcely an 

 instance named in which the use of lime or plaster has given 

 any decisive and well authenticated favorable results. Wood 

 ashes have been frequently used, and large crops have followed. 

 Many cases, however, are reported in which their application 

 also seems to have been without advantage. Large crops are 

 returned where no manure whatever is reported to have been 

 applied in the season of the wheat or the preceding season. 

 No exact average of the amount of crops can be formed. I 

 have carefully collated all the returns, and have obtained an 

 average yield of each town and likewise of each county, dividing 

 the number of bushels produced by the number of acres sown. 

 This, however, will not give a just comparative result, as the 

 result must be varied by the number of crops or number of 

 acres sown. For example, in a town where two acres were 

 sown, giving one 30 bushels and the other 15 bushels, the 

 averD're would be called 23 bushels ; but in another town, pre- 

 sent^Uj^ four claimants of an acre each, one producing 30 bush- 



