New Jer/ey ', Raccoon. 129 



the fields were as green, and the air as 

 warm, towards the end of February, as it 

 is now in March, or in the beginning of 

 April, old ftile. The Swedes at that time 

 made ufe of this phrafe : Pajk bifida, Pajk 

 Jenty alt id Gras, that is, we have always 

 grafs at Eajier, whether it be foon or 

 late in the year. But perhaps we can ac- 

 count as follows, for the opinion which 

 the people here have, that vegetation ap- 

 peared formerly more forward than it does 

 now. Formerly the cattle were not fo nu-* 

 merous as now ; however, the woods were 

 full of grafs and herbs, which, according to 

 the teitimony of all the old people here, 

 grew to the height of a man. At prefent 

 a great part of the annual graffes and plants 

 have been entirely extirpated by the con- 

 tinual grazing of numbers of cattle. Thefe 

 annual graffes were probably green very 

 early in fpring, and (being extirpated) 

 might lead the people to believe, that 

 every thing came on fooner formerly, than 

 it does at prefent. 



It ufed to rain more abundantly than 

 it does now ; during the harveft efpecially, 

 the rains fell in fuch plenty, that it was 

 very difficult to bring home the hay and 

 corn. Some of the laft years had been ex- 

 tremely dry. However, a few peoole were 



Vol. II. I »f 



