﻿III. 
  AGRICULTUEE. 
  

  

  THE 
  EARLY 
  STATE 
  AND 
  PROGRESS 
  OF 
  

   AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  Several 
  years 
  elapsed, 
  after 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  

   French 
  colony 
  at 
  Baluxi, 
  before 
  even 
  the 
  common 
  

   vegetables 
  of 
  the 
  garden 
  were 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  the 
  sterile 
  

   soil 
  of 
  the 
  sea-shore 
  was 
  not 
  calculated 
  to 
  invite 
  a 
  more 
  

   extended 
  culture, 
  if 
  the 
  character 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   colonists, 
  chiefly 
  soldiers, 
  deriving 
  all 
  their 
  supplies 
  from 
  

   the 
  mother 
  country, 
  had 
  inclined 
  them 
  to 
  such 
  pursuits. 
  

  

  It 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  province 
  came 
  under 
  

   the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  Company 
  of 
  the 
  Indies, 
  that 
  the 
  tillage 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth 
  became 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  a 
  fixed 
  pursuit. 
  The 
  

   first 
  impulse 
  was 
  then 
  given 
  to 
  planting 
  by 
  the 
  large 
  

   grants 
  to 
  European 
  capitalists, 
  who 
  sent 
  out 
  laborers 
  to 
  

   open 
  and 
  improve 
  their 
  lands. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  efficient 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  German 
  redemp- 
  

   tioners 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  climate, 
  and 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   labor 
  of 
  removing 
  the 
  dense 
  forests, 
  rendered 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   gress 
  of 
  improvement 
  tedious 
  and 
  discouraging. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  soon 
  found 
  necessary 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  Africa 
  for 
  

   suitable 
  operatives 
  for 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  agricultural 
  

   enterprise 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  company, 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time, 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent, 
  and 
  disposed 
  of 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  