MARYLAND WEATHER SERVICE 351 



through the winter and in the spring sell for the export trade. Other 

 farmers where pasture is abundant carry their steers through the 

 winter on the coarse forage of the farm, fatten on pasture during the 

 summer and sell as "grassers" in the fall. The careful farmer thus 

 gains in two ways by the increased valuation at time of sale, and 

 by the accumulated fertility during feeding time, which is of no 

 little permanent value in the upbuilding of the farm's capacity for 

 crops. In case the farm is located in convenient relation to corn 

 canning factories, the waste from the cannery — cobs, husks, refuse 

 ears, etc., is often secured by the growers and fed either fresh to 

 dairy or as ensilage to both dairy and beef cattle. This particular 

 feature may be found around Westminster or Frederick, both being 

 important centers in each of the three lines mentioned, dairy, can- 

 ning and beef raising. 



The "Glades" that occur in the Mountain Zone were important 

 natural pasture lands before the separation of Garrett from the 

 older Allegany County. Their pasture character is still important, 

 as the firm deep soil with usually a sufficient supply of moisture, is 

 well fitted to the growth of the grasses of the pasture type. Both 

 sheep and cattle are raised in these areas, and they also afford nat- 

 urally favorable conditions for hay raising. 



The raising of sheep is developed to a considerable business in 

 the two extremes of the State, the Mountain Zone and the Eastern 

 Shore District of the Coastal Zone. The counties in which there 

 are any considerable number of sheep are Garrett, and the three 

 counties from the Sassafras to the Choptank, — Kent, Queen Anne's 

 and Talbot, the loam soils of these areas giving good pasturage for 

 grazing. 



Other animals which are important in Maryland, are pigs and 

 horses. The former are raised in small numbers quite generally 

 over the State, but the pasture counties of the Midland Zone are the 

 ones where horses are produced. 



Rotation of Crops. 



Crop rotations have much to do with the general maintenance of 

 fertility of the farm lands, and the particular rotation practised is 

 found to be quite different in the several sections of the State. In 



