510 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



in from either side, and the empty cart pass out at the 

 other. Over the stable is a tight floor, upon which there 

 is a great mow of rye, and on the other side is the bay, 

 filled with hay and oats from ground to peak. Old Zeph, 

 a neighboring negro, is just clearing off the barn floor 

 to commence the seemingly endless task of beating out 

 all that grain with a flail. But he will do it, and then 

 winnow in the wind, and carry it upon his back to the 

 bins in the carriage and corn houses. And such is a pic- 

 ture of New England farming in old times. 



Solon Robinson. 



Sketches of Canada. 



[The Plow, New York, 1:20-21; Jan., 1852] 



[December ?, 1851] 



In the American Agriculturist, several articles were 

 given last year, descriptive of a tour of observation upon 

 the agricultural condition of our neighbors at the north. 

 A continuation of these notes I hope will be interesting. 



I left Kingston on one of the splendid steamers of the 

 St. Lawrence, and directly after, we were amidst the 

 mazes of the Thousand Islands. Both shores and islands 

 are rock-bound, and unproductive of aught but what the 

 forest yields to the sparse population, whose log-cabin 

 tenements are seen from our floating-palace, as we glide 

 along by the power of steam and current, which sweeps 

 impetuously down the numerous natural channels of this 

 romantic region. After a rapid run of 60 miles, we 

 emerge from the Thousand Islands at Brockville, a flour- 

 ishing Canada town, the first below Kingston, containing 

 about 3,000 inhabitants. It is situated upon the side of 

 a rocky hill, and although it lacks that thrifty look of 

 some of our Yankee villages, it presents a very pleasing 

 appearance to the traveller, approaching it by water. The 

 river here, is broad and beautiful; one little rocky isle, 

 the last of the thousand group, standing sentinel, imme- 

 diately in front of the wharves. The market, which I 



