Oats and vetches were also grown for horse and cattle feed. Vetches were a plant somewhat like field peas used for fodder. One popular type of oats used mainly for horse feed was called "black" oats. James Norton 's diaries of May 4, 1890 reported that a ship had landed 600 bushels of "Black Tartarian" oats imported by the government from Scotland . It was in two bushel bags and sold for $2.00 per bag. Only five communities in each county received it and a farmer could only purchase one bag. Pesticides and herbicides were unheard of and bugs and blight were a serious problem. Potato bugs had to be hand picked. During the late 1880's, Alan Hunter of Dundas invented a potato bug picker. This rig was driven between the rows and fans and beaters on the side would knock the bugs into a long metal container underneath. This container was emptied and the offending bugs burned. One cynical "old gent" from Dundas remarked that the bugs would be just as bad next year. People tend to do more specialized farming today. There are dairy farmers, potato farmers, beef and hog farmers, sheep farmers, and poultry farmers. Tobacco farming is also being carried out in the area. In more recent years the small family farm has become almost extinct. Small farmers have sold out and become part of larger units or, in the case of Farms, to an outside corporation. We can not underestimate the importance of this factor in weakening our communities. It is hoped that the future will see a turn around in this trend so that the years to come will see many of our youth returning to the land. MUSSEL MUD One thing Island farmers discovered early in their farming years was that the Island soil was easily exhausted. To replenish the nutrients the farmers added mussel mud. Mussel mud was rich in oyster shells and their valuable lime content led to the mud being considered the most valuable fertilizer. The mud was obtained from the Boughton River , and the shores of the area. Digging the mud was difficult in the early years. It was dug at low tide into scows. It was dug during the summer months and difficulty of the task meant the mud was not extensively used. The development of a wooden mud digging machine in the 1860's changed this. Horse power was then used to raise the mud and the farmers were able to dig during the winter months. Mussel mud became very popular after this. Annie Hume , formerly of Primrose , recalled that the farmers along the Seven hauled so much mud that the road became known as the "". When the ice was thick enough to carry a man, the farmers would test the bottom of the river with an iron tipped pole through a hole in the ice. This was to determine where the thickest deposits of oyster shells were. These deposits were then bushed. Bushing the spot reserved it for later digging.