Lynch Report on Bruce County, 1856

John Lynch wrote a report on the prospects for Agriculture in Bruce County in 1856. Several extended extracts are included here which describe aspects of life in Bruce County in the mid 1850s. I have added my own comments and a few references to other contemporary accounts.

CULROSS, KINLOSS, AND GREENOCK. - The other three townships Culross, Kinloss and Greenock, form a wedge, entering the county from the south, between the two ranges of townships above mentioned. Culross lies on the west of Carrick. It is a pretty good township, with some few swamps however; and Kinloss, a triangular township, lying between Culross and Huron [township], is much similar in quality. Neither of those townships is much settled.

GENERAL REMARKS

Taken altogether, the settled part of the County of Bruce is an excellent tract of land. In the quality of the soil and water privileges, it is not exceeded by many counties in Canada. The climate is also good, though pretty well to the north, the greater part of the county being above the parallel of forty-four degrees; yet I think it is not so much subject to injurious frosts as some counties of the interior further south. It is favourably situated for facilities of communication, having a frontage of forty miles on the lake, and now by operation of the treaty of reciprocity with the United States, the inhabitants of this county will have easy and direct access to the United States markets, while, on the other side they have the Town of Sydenham [now Owen Sound] with its excellent harbour, by means of the Northern Railway, within an easy day's journey of Toronto, the capital of the Province.

COMMON ROADS

With respect to ordinary roads, this county has been more highly favored than most new settlements. The Government has expended large sums of money in laying out and improving roads and bridges in this county, as well as the adjoining counties of Grey and Huron.

As before mentioned, the Durham Road was commenced in 1850 and opened and improved from the Garafraxa Road [Highway 6], or Owen Sound Road, through the Township of Bentinck into the Township of Brant. It has since been extended through the townships of Greenock, and Kinloss into Kincardine, and will be completed this summer through to the lake shore at Penetangore [now Kincardine]. This road has also been extended eastward, in the County of Grey, to the Toronto and Sydenham Road [Highway 10], and will soon be completed through the township of Osprey, or between that township and Melancthon, to Nottawasaga in the County of Simcoe. [The Durham Road is now Highway 9 from Kincardine to Walkerton and County Road 4 - formerly Higwhay 4 - east from Walkerton to Durham].

In 1851 was commenced the Elora and Saugeen Road, which, as well as the Durham Road, is one of much importance to this county. This road runs from the VIllage of Elora, in a northerly direction, between the townships of Nichol and Pilkington, thence acrossthe townships of Peel, Mornington and Minto, and the nort-east corner of Howick and into the County of Bruce near the soiuth-east corneeeer of Carrick; thence on the same course diagonally, through Carrick to its north-west angle, where there is a town plot laid out at the four corners of Carrick, Brant, Culross and Greenock. It there takes a turn and runs nearly due northbetween the townships of Brant, Elderslie, and Arran, on the right, and Greenock and Saugeen on the left, to Southampton, a distance of thirty miles. The whole length of the road, from Elora to Southampton, is 78 miles, of which 45 miles are in the County of Bruce. It has been under construction for the last four years, and is now about completed and fit for travel the whole extent. ....

Another important road has been opened along the lake shor, from Southampton to the southwest corner of the county, and is there connected with a road to Goderich.

Besides the aboe there are several other roads of less general importance to the County of Bruce, which have been opened and improved by the Government, partly within or adjoining the County.

First - the Wawanosh Road, from Lake Huron to the Township of Woolwich, passing along the line between Huron and Kinloss, in the County of Bruce, and Ashfield and Wawanosh in the County of Huron, and continued on the same direct course between the townships of TUrnberry, Howick, Wallace, Maryborough and Peel on the north, and Morris, Grey, Elora, Mornington and Wellesly on the south, to the township of Woolich; sixty-five miles, twenty-one of which are on the boundary of Bruce.

Second - a road connecting the Elora and Southampton road with the Toronto and Sydenham road, along the townline betwen Elderslie, Sullivan and Holland to the North, and Brant, Bentinck, and Glenelg on the south; thity miles, ten of which are in Bruce.

Third - A road communicating between the Elora and Southampton Road, and the Wawanosh Road, along the line between Carrick, Culross and Kinloss, in the County of Bruce, and Howick and Turnberry, in the County of Huron; twenty-one and a quarter miles. [This road passes by the farms of Pat King, Joseph Moir and John Kennedy].

Fourth - A road from the Durham ROad, southward, between the townships of Grenock and Culross on one side , and Brant and Carrick on the other and thence between the Howick and Turnberry to the Wawanosh Road ; twenty miles, ten of which are in Bruce. [This is now County Road 12 - the Formosa Road ].

Also a road running from the township of Kinloss along the town line, between Ashfiled and Wawanosh, to the Township of Colborne, near Goderich, which will much shorten the route to Goderich from the south-eastern townships of Bruce. [ This is now County Road 1 south from Lucknow]

The greater part of these roads is already completed, and the remainder is in progress, and will probably be completed this summer. They comprise over six hundred miles, two hundred and twenty of which are within or adjoining the County of Bruce, and all the rest are of importance, as being leading approaches to the county. The amount of improvement made on these roads consists of bridging the streams, crosswaying the swamps, and cutting out and removing the fallen timber and underwood less than eight inches in diameter from a space in the middle of the allowance for road from twelve to forty feet in breadth. ...

MODE OF FARMING

The mode of farming, in a country where the plough is carcely yeet in use, cannot wll be placed in comparison with that of many other counties in Upper Canada. The plough is not yet much used in this county; it cannot, in a general way, be profitably used until the land is cleared from five to eight years, when most of the roots become pretty well rotted, and break up with the plough, and many of the smaller stumps can be removed. The first plowing however, is rather a difficult and laborious undertaking, and requires a good deal of care and patience; but when the land is once well turned over the next ploughing is comparatively easy, and it becomes more kindly at every successive ploughing. It is of importance that the first ploughing should be done in a complete manner, and it should not be attempted until the roots are so far decayed as that it can be done well, for if the first ploughing is done in a rough and imperfect manner, it is very difficult afterwards to bring it into proper condition. The best plan, especially on clay soils, is to sow grass seeds with the first crop, and let the land lie in grass for six or eight years, or until the roots are so much decayed as to admit of its being properly ploughed, when it will be fit to be put into any course of cropping. There aare, however, some parts of the country where the land may be ploughed as soon as it is cleared; such places occur on rich and sandy soil, where there is but little underbrush or small timber, and the trees are large and far between, with the roots penetrating deep into the ground. It is unusual, however, and generally quite useless to plough for the first crop, even where the ground may be ploughed without great difficulty. In clearing the land the ground is usually all or nearly all burned over the surface, and it is only necessary to sow the seed and drag it in, and the next year it may be ploughed with advantage where ploughing is practicable. If, hoewever, it is intended to sow grass seeds with the first crop, the ground should not be ploughed in any case, for it cannot be made so smooth for the scythe after ploughing as without it. On the most of the land in the county, however, as in almost all newly cleared lands, ploughing is not practicable with advantage until the land has been cleared for some years. On clay lands the roots generally spread over, near the surface of the ground and effectually prevent the operation of the plough until they are rotten. Such land will produce one excellent crop of grain without plowing, and if sown with seeds will grow good grass, either for meadow or pasture, until it is in a condition to plough, which will be about the same time that the grass is beginning to run out. This plan is liable to the objection that a person clearing a good many acres each year, and always seeding down with the first crop, will, in a few years, have more land in grass than he wants; and many persons, anxious to grow more grain, are induced, when they cannot plough their land, to grow two or more successive crops of grain without ploughing, but this practise should never be attemped. It is frequently tried, however, and I believe in some rare cases with success, although I have never seen such a crop succeeed. I believe that in nineteen cases out of twenty, not only is the seed and labout thrown away, but the land is rendered useless for several years, and actually less valuable than the uncleared land.

The process of preparing the new ground for the crop, though more simple than what is generally required on an old farm, is much more laborious, and requires also a considerable degree of care and attention.

The first thing to be done is the chopping; much of this is done in the winter season, as at that time there is more leisure from other work. It is considered better, however, to have the chopping done in the spring or early part of the summer. If done in the summer the stumps and roots will not sprout so much, and will decay much sooner. Besides the ground will generally be cleaner for the seed, as when chopped in the winter it frequently grows up with the weeds. The first part of the chopping is to cut down all the underbrush and pile it, as well as all small saplings. At the same time all the fallen timber should be cut into proper lengths fro logging. If there is any chopping to be done in the winter, care should be taken to have this preparatory work all completed in the fall before the snow falls. Much may be gained in clearing the land by a little extra care in chopping. If the brush is carefully piled with a view to burning, and the trees fallen in the proper directions, and cut into the proper lengths for logging, much labour may be saved when you come to that laborious part of the work. A skilful and careful hand at the business will plan out many of his log heaps when he is chopping the timber, and thereby facilitate the work of logging. The time for burning brush is generally in the month of June, and the facility of logging and clearing, and sometimes the prospect of a good crop, depends materailly on getting what is called a good burn. On high dry land, and especially on sandy land, there is seldom any difficulty; but on swampy or low land, wher the surface continues moist late in the spring. it is not very easy to get the brush properly burned, except in very dry weather, and you can seldom get the ground burned over, which is useful in clearing the land by destroying the seeds and sprouts. At the time of chopping, the rail timber is selected and cut into proper length for rails, eleven feet is the usual length. The logging is generally done in the months of July and August, and the ground prepared for the seed by the first or tenth of September. Three men, with a yoke of oxen, will log an acre in a day, of ordinary clearing, but much depends on the completeness of the chopping and burning the brush.

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