154 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



high-lying country but for half the way pretty level. 

 The region is not yet much settled, but here and there 

 a farm is seen. The road was straight, almost due 

 north, and with the dry weather extraordinarily good. 

 The forests consisted for the greater part of white, 

 red, and black oak, with very little undergrowth. 

 There appeared frequently a dwarf willow, not more 

 than 3-4 ft. high, with small leaves. All this high 

 land between Bethlehem and Nazareth, and off to- 

 wards Easton, goes by the name of the dry land. 

 And it is indeed dry. This tract, chiefly limestone 

 soil, contains few springs, slow, and found only in cer- 

 tain lower spots ; and often water is in vain dug for to 

 a great depth. None of the dug wells is less than 80 

 ft. deep, and in some places they have gone as deep as 

 136 ft. through the limestone and found only weak 

 veins of water going dry in summer. The inhabitants 

 who begin to be numerous are here in bad case. Their 

 grass crops are insignificant, and during the winter 

 they have to feed their cattle on turnips, or stubble and 

 other dry fodder. Most of the houses get their water 

 one, two, and three miles away, for which purpose 

 each establishment keeps a special wagon with a barrel. 

 One stream, the Monocacy, goes quite dry in sum- 

 mer ; we passed it without knowing it. The pasturing 

 cattle wander far around looking for puddles. But 

 cattle easily grow accustomed to infrequent supplies 

 of water, can indeed quite dispense with water for a 

 long time, if there is green pasturage or (as the rule 

 is in America) if the stock remains out day and night 

 and can get refreshment from the falling dew. I 

 know certainly that on Long Island horses as well as 

 horned cattle were enclosed throughout a long, hot, 



