THE AXE AND THE WINDFALL. 117 



may prove rich land to a rich man, who has capital 

 enough to expend in bringing it into condition. One 

 reason, therefore, why land covered with broad-leaved 

 trees is universally valued, is that, besides being for the 

 most part really good, at least on tbe surface, it will give 

 a succession of abundant first crops by merely felling and 

 burning the trees upon it, and scratching in the seed. 



Improved farms sell at the rate of 50s. an acre. One 

 of a hundred acres, with twenty to thirty cleared, may 

 be bought for 250, and one of two hundred acres, with 

 forty cleared, for 500 currency, (400 sterling.) Farm- 

 buildings and house are, of course, included, and the 

 price will vary with the quality of these. 



Starting early, the morning being still dull, and 

 threatening rain, we drove through the settlement, and 

 then, diverging to the south-west, entered the wilderness 

 again, on our way to join the high-road to St John, in 

 Sussex Vale. 



In countries like this, the woodman s axe is a necessary 

 appendage of the traveller s waggon. Every high wind 

 throws over numberless trees, often of large size, and 

 some of these are sure to fall across the roads, which in 

 every direction run for miles through the forest. We 

 met to-day with many such windfalls. Some we were 

 able to pass by making a short detour ; but others w r ould 

 have given us trouble, and caused us much loss of time, 

 had not some earlier traveller fortunately preceded us. 

 We found the road open, therefore ; and though we were 

 put now and then to a little inconvenience in getting 

 round some of the larger fallen trees, we fortunately 

 suffered no material detention. 



Leaving the Butternut Ridge behind us, we ascended, 

 and crossed a ridge of grey sandstone, covered by poor 

 soils, and descended between the upper forks of Smith s 

 Creek, a tributary of the River Salmon, which I have 

 already described as running through Sussex Vale. Our 



