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mussel—mud ; but it is easily worked, and responds readily to proper cultivation. Mr. J. P. Sheldon, Professor of Agri— culture at the Wilts and Hants Agricultural College, Downton, near Salisbury, who visited the Island in 1880, thus writes of it:—“In some respects this is one of the most beautiful Provinces in the Dominion, and it has probably the largest proportion of cultivable land. The soil generally is a red sandy loam of one character throughout. but differing in quality. On the whole, the grass land of the Island and the character of the sward, consisting as it does of indigenous clovers, and a variety of finer grasses, reminded me strongly of some portions of old England. The people, too, are more English in appearance than those of any other of the Provinces with the exception of New Brunswick. This is probably owing to a cooler climate, and the contiguity of the sea. Prince Edward Island is covered with a soil that is easy to cultivate, sound and healthy, capable of giving excellent crops of roots, grain and grass, an honest soil that will not fail to respond to the skill of the husbandman. The Island grows very good wheat. and probably better oats than most other parts of the Dominion. Of the former, the crops are from 18 to 30 bushels, and of the latter 25 to 70 bushels per acre. Barley, too makes a very nice crop. Wheat, at the time of my visit, was worth 4s. per bushel of 6olbs., oats 1s. 9d. per bushel of 34 lb:;., and barley 25. 6d. to 35. per bushel of 48 lbs. The Island is noted for its large crops of excellent potatoes, which not uncommonly foot up to 250 bushels an acre of fine handsome tubers. Swedes make a fine crop, not uncommonly reaching 7 50 bushels per acre of sound and solid bulbs.”

In addition to the natural fertility of the soil, the great facility for obtaining manure may be set down as one of the y principal advantages. In most of the bays and rivers are found extensive deposits of mussel mud, formed by decayed oyster, clam and mussel shells. These deposits vary from 5 to 20 feet in depth, and their surface is often several

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