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Full text: INTRODUCTION Pounds Butter 96,626 200,813 Cheese 1,424 8,418 Live Stock Horses 669 621 Neat Cattle 9,142 10,491 Milch Cows 3,744 5,485 Sheep 11,934 16,786 Swine 2,989 3,190 In his diary Gaetz occasionally refers to agriculture—his entries in- clude comments on making hay, the effects of rot on the price of potatoes in April 1860, the impact of drought in the spring of 1860, and the destruc- tion to crops threatened by army worms in August 1861. The first settlers of Lunenburg, being, in general, continental not coastal Europeans, concentrated their attention on farming rather than fishing. "They have no inclination for the Fishery," Charles Morris stated (Report Concerning Canadian Archives For the Year 1904, page 292), "tho' well situated for that purpose." This situation was, indeed, advantageous for the off-shore fishery, as well as for coastal trade. As time passed, how- ever, Lunenburgers became quite at home on the sea, and eventually the prosperity of Lunenburg depended largely on the bank-fishery. By 1826 it was estimated that about 100 coasters belonging to the county were en- gaged either in the Labrador fishery or in carrying cordwood, lumber and agricultural produce to Halifax, while 19 large vessels, owned in the port of Lunenburg, were, it was reported in The Novascotian of November 2, 1826, chiefly occupied in West India trade. The annual export of cod from Lunenburg was estimated to be about 25,000 quintals, of which about one-third was derived from the shore fishery. Alewives were obtained from Port Medway in Queens County, mackerel were obtained from along the shore or from Canso, dog and cod oil, which formed a portion of out- ward cargoes, were supplied by shore fishermen, and salmon were procured off Labrador. In 1850 there were 186 vessels, 458 boats and 1,299 men from Lunenburg County employed in the fisheries. The quantities of fish cured included 21,057 quintals of dry fish, 9,417 bbls. of mackerel, 4,878 bbls. of herring, 202 bbls. of alewives and 7 bbls. of salmon. Ten years later the number of vessels so employed was 158, while the number of boats was 969, and the number of men was 2,487. In 1860 the quantity of fish cured was substantially higher than in 1850, with dry fish trebling from 21,057 quintals to 65,791 quintals, a decrease in mackerel and an increase in herring. In 1860 the town of Lunenburg had 36 vessels, with 364 men, and 207 boats, with 383 men, engaged in the fisheries. There were then 163 vessels, with a tonnage of 6,732, 'registered at Lunenburg, when the re- turns showed 3,118 vessels, with a total tonnage of 234,743, for the whole Province. -? I