New Jsrfey, Raccoon* 193 



to the vaft forefts which remained. Thus 

 the upper fertile foil increafed considerably, 

 for centuries together ; and the 'Europeans 

 coming to America found a rich and fine 

 foil before them, lying as loofe between the 

 trees as the beft bed in a garden. They 

 had nothing to do but to cut down the 

 wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the 

 dead leaves away. They could then im- 

 mediately proceed to ploughing, which in 

 fuch loofe ground is very eafy ; and having 

 fown their corn, they got a moit plentiful 

 harveft. This eafy method of getting a rich 

 crop has fpoiled the Englijh and other Eu- 

 ropean inhabitants, and induced them to 

 adopt the fame method of agriculture which 

 the Indians make ufe of; that is, to fow un- 

 cultivated grounds, as long as they will pro- 

 duce a cr6p without manuring, but to turn 

 them into paftures as foort as they can bear 

 no more, and to take in hand new fpots of 

 ground, covered fince time immemorial with 

 woods, which have been fpared by the fire 

 or the hatchet ever fince the creation. This 

 is like wife the reafon why agriculture, and 

 the knowledge of this ufeful branch, is fo 

 imperfect here, that one can learn nothing 

 oh a great tract qf land, neither of the Eng- 

 h'/Jj, nor of the'Sivedes, Germans, Dutch, and 

 French -, except that, frcm their grcfs inif- 

 Vol. II. N takes 



