216 THEISLAND ACADIANS 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mussel mud was used in place of limestone for soil improvement 
     
     until the 1930s. With the production and marketing of potatoes at 
     
     that time, farmers stopped using mussel mud because they discovered 
     
     that it increased the likelihood of a scab developing on the tuber. In 
     
     addition, commercial products such as lime and chemical fertilizer 
     
     proved to be more efficient and easier to obtain'”. 
     
    

    
     Drainage posed a considerable problem on Acadian farms, particu- 
     
     larly in Prince County. Many of these farms were located on poorly 
     
     drained, thus unproductive, lowland'. After 1915 the provincial De- 
     
     partment of Agriculture helped farmers install drainage systems. Two 
     
     methods were used: either a trench or an underground system of clay 
     
     tiles. The first experiments on the Island were carried out in Mont 
     
     Carmel and neighbouring districts'!’. This work improved the situation 
     
     somewhat. 
     
    

    
     After the 1920s, the arrival of the tractor and farm machinery 
     
     transformed farming methods on the Island and elsewhere. However, 
     
     purchasing this equipment required both a large amount of money 
     
     and a fairly large acreage. Most Acadian farmers were not in a position 
     
     to fully benefit from these technological advancements. On the one 
     
     hand, they did not have the necessary financial resources, and on the 
     
     other hand their farms were too small to justify an investment of that 
     
     order. Moreover, tractors were not very suitable for their lowland farms. 
     
    
   
   
    
     CROPS 
     
    
   
   
    
     The development of dairy farming resulted in certain changes in 
     
     the acreage used for various crops. Hay production increased especially 
     
     between 1890 and 1920!'*, while oats as a monoculture declined. 
     
     Farmers switched to what was considered better feed for cattle: mixed 
     
     grains with oats as the major constituent. Wheat production dropped 
     
     to the point of becoming almost insignificant for farmers on the 
     
     Island. This was due to the abundance of cheap wheat originating 
     
     from western Canada'”. 
     
    

    
     As we have seen, potato-growing increased considerably between 
     
     1860 and 1890, although there was a decline between 1890 and 1920 
     
     mainly because of the development of dairy farming. It was only after 
     
     the 1920s that potato-growing increased and that P.E.I. became inter- 
     
     nationally renowned for the quality of its seed potatoes. Potato farming