Vegetables | Fruit | Hay and Grain
Although the acreage in
potato
production was far greater than that for any other crop,
other vegetables and fruits continued to make their way
into the ground as well. In addition to serving as a
source of feed for cattle, turnips occupied an important
place in the crop
rotation. Sometimes, turnips would
take the place of potatoes in the hay, root, and grain
cycle that many farmers followed religiously. The
decision whether or not to plant turnips was often
determined by the price of potatoes. If there was a
strong return for potatoes, the growth of turnips
declined. Peas, carrots, and corn were other significant
field crops. During any single growing season in the late
1970s, there might be twenty-five hundred acres of peas
under cultivation in the Kensington area, most of which
were destined for the local processing plant.
In the late nineteenth century, most farms possessed a
small orchard, containing anywhere from 10 to 25
fruit-bearing trees. Islandwide, four to five thousand
acres of land might have been devoted to fruit crops on
any given year. 
With the apples, pears,
cherries, and plums from their orchards, farm wives could
make all of the jams and jellies needed by the family, as
well as baking delicious pies for special occasions.
Honing their skills to perfection, women would enter
their best baked goods and preserves in local or
provincial fairs, hoping to win recognition as one of the
most accomplished cooks on the Island.
The decline of the farm
orchards started in the 1920s, brought about by the
spread of fungal problems, the rise of black knot in
cherry trees, and general neglect. But the Island fruit
industry has experienced a resurgence as of late, fuelled
by a steady demand for cultivated berries. The mid-summer
strawberry season has become a much anticipated part of
the Island year. Families hit the fields to pick their
own year's 
supply, which they then
freeze and bottle, and friends gather at 'strawberry
socials'-- often thrown, incidentally, by the local
politician. While it also thrives in the wild, the
cultivation of blueberries has grown by leaps and bounds
as well, and Island blueberries now appear in muffins and
ice-cream across North America.
Grain
crops-- such as oats, barley, and wheat-- were essential
to man and beast alike on the nineteenth-century farm.
Farmers needed wheat to mill flour for bread and to make
porridge, and their animals depended on grain for feed as
well. Islanders grew many different wheat varieties,
including Red and White Fife, Regent, and Marquis. While
it was looked upon as the crop of poor farmers, buckwheat
was almost always planted on newly-cleared land, as it
was an effective means of removing couch grass. Once it
had rid the field of this pest, it also made an excellent
feed for chickens.
Black oats were commonly grown for Island horses, as it was believed that the higher fat content of this variety would add lustre to the animal's coat. They were also more resistant to smut. Hay crops-- consisting mainly of clover and timothy-- increased steadily between 1890 and 1920, an increase which reflected the simultaneous rise of the Island dairy industry. The raising of livestock required plenty of hay for food and bedding, and as the number of farm animals continued to rise, hay was perenially in demand. 'Making hay while the sun shines' has become an essential-- if not always enjoyable-- part of Island summers, when the sunshine is hot enough to dry out both the hay and the workers taking it in.
