 In 1802, General David Humphreys imported Spanish merino sheep to his farm in Derby, greatly improving the breed in Connecticut; with British wool imports cut off in the early part of the 1800s, Connecticut's sheep herd grew quickly, to 400,000 animals by 1813.Cattle production improved with the increased practice of sowing grass seed and the introduction of clover, beginning around 1790.Despite limited success in exports, entering the 19th century Connecticut farmers generally adhered to a model of subsistence farming and barter, with poor roads hampering the transport of produce to market and Long Island and New Jersey farmers competing for trade with burgeoning New York City.