AGRICULTURE OF EASTERN HAMPSHIRE. 319 



Hadley Falls and Ware Village. The geological formation of 

 the region is principally gneiss, but sandstone and trap exist to 

 a limited extent. The general character of the soil is drift 

 composed of the abraded materials of the granite, slate and lime- 

 stone rocks of Franklin County and Vermont. This debris has 

 been sorted by water currents ai;d specific gravity, so that we 

 have distinctive soils, of clay, sand and gravel, and soils of vary- 

 ing characteristics of which some one of these substances is the 

 predominating base. Along the streams, but especially border- 

 ing the Connecticut in Hadley and South Hadley, are more 

 recent deposits of alluvial soil which form extensive meadows 

 of great and enduring fertility. 



The aborigines had settlements on the streams, their hunting 

 grounds were the adjacent hills, but they cultivated the river 

 bottom quite extensively with corn, and so important did they 

 consider this cultivation, that when they deeded it to the settlers, 

 sixteen acres were set apart and described by metes and bounds, 

 which they were to have to grow corn upon four years, during 

 which time they were to prepare other corn lands farther up the 

 river. The first settlement of whites was made here in the year 

 1658. The land was honestly purchased of the Indians, hon- 

 estly paid for, and was conveyed by deed in due form, and 

 recorded. The settlement was at the place now known as West 

 Street in Hadley, but the township embraced nearly all the ter- 

 ritory now included in the towns of Hadley, Hatfield, Amherst, 

 South Hadley, Granby, Pelharn and Belchertown. The outly- 

 ing lands of the purchase were taken up and settled upon soon 

 after, but the Indian war stopped all expansion and drove 

 the settlers into the stockade or to the adjoining lands, to remain 

 until peace was secured by the practical extermination of the 

 Indians. Within fifty years of the first settlement at Hadley, 

 nearly the whole territory of the ten towns was occupied by set- 

 tlers. All that portion of the country lying east and south of 

 what is now the town of Amherst, was originally covered with a 

 dense forest, principally of hard wood, though the various varie- 

 ties of pine were not uncommon. West of the line spoken of, 

 to Connecticut River, there was very little forest, though much 

 of it became wooded within a hundred years from the first set- 

 tlement. The settlers were exclusively farmers and at once 

 commenced agricultural operations, so that our lands have to a 



