114 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE IMPROVE- 

 MENT OF PASTURE AND WASTE LANDS. 



The Committee to whom was referred the subject of the 

 Improvement of Pasture and Waste Lands, propose to confine 

 themselves to bat one topic in considering the question before 

 them. They fully appreciate the efforts which are constantly 

 made to bring the large tracts of unproductive land both wet 

 and drVj which occupy so much of the county, into the service 

 of agriculture ; and they take pleasure in congratulating the 

 farmers of this section, in their renewed attempts during the 

 past season to subdue their rough and swampy lands, for the 

 purposes of cropping. But they feel that the most important 

 consideration for the agriculturist here is, how he can best con- 

 vert useless tracts into profitable pastm-e lands, or restore those 

 which have suffered fi-om over-stocking, or from neglect. 

 While some sections of our State are capable of pasturing more 

 cattle than can be kept during the winter, and thus lose a large 

 portion of their summer feed, in Essex County the reverse is 

 true. Here we can winter more cattle than we can summer. 

 Our pastures are less productive than our hay-fields. And we 

 are not only obliged to overstock the former, but we are in- 

 duced to resort to that most destructive of all farming opera- 

 tions, the sale of our hay. Except in those instances where, 

 either from proximity to the sea, or from the supply of cities, 

 maniu'e can be cheaply and easily obtained, the neglect of pas- 

 ture lands, and the removal of hay, must end in great injury to 

 the farm. He whose pastures fail, must sell his cattle. He 

 Avho sells his cattle will sell his hay. And he who sells both 

 cattle and hay, will ere long find that he must sell his farm. 



The improvement of the pasture lands of Essex County is, 

 therefore, a matter of great importance to our farming commu- 

 nity. Wc ought at least to keep them up to the capacity of 

 our hay-mows ; and, if possible, we should carry them beyond 

 this. 



