FARMING OF OLD SETTLERS FRENCH CANADIANS. 135 



were seen dissolving into earth on the way sides. Manure is, 

 occasionally, deposited thickly in heaps on pastures in the early 

 part of summer, where it remains to be spread by the cattle 

 and pigs. When manure is applied to the potato crop, which 

 is very limited in extent, it is spread on the surface after the 

 crop is above ground Cattle and sheep are small, lean, mi 

 serable looking creatures, and their pastures as bare as possi 

 ble. Fully one-third of the sheep are black coloured, the 

 wool of which is useful in forming the grey cloth which almost 

 the whole French population wear, and saves the expense and 

 trouble of dyeing. Neither sheep nor cattle resemble any of the 

 breeds I am acquainted with, and in all probability both are 

 descended from those of France. The horses are small, and 

 coarse-looking mere ponies, though said to be active and 

 hardy. The fences are invariably post and rail. Wild oats 

 were particularly numerous in all crops. 



The French Canadians, of the ordinary classes, almost 

 invariably live in block-houses, with large windows, and seem 

 ill constructed, externally and internally, for economizing heat, 

 which the nature of the climate, and scarcity of fuel, render 

 so desirable. They have a clean appearance, being often 

 white-washed with lime, and the window-boards and roofs are 

 occasionally painted of different colours, and seldom harmonize 

 with the house. A tree or shrub is never found in their gar 

 dens, and an orchard, except in the neighbourhood of the 

 mountain, is almost unknown. 



The wealthier French Canadians are ambitious of having 

 stone-houses, which are very awkward erections, and so ill 



built, that my friend D said the work looked as if it had 



been done by ploughmen between yokings. 



The inhabitants are rather under-sized, broad-shouldered, 

 and athletic-looking men, with swarthy complexions. They 

 generally bowed to us in passing, and the boys invariably did 

 so. The little creatures had a most grotesque appearance, 

 decked in very broad-brimmed straw hats, and a flowing shirt 

 being their only covering. 



Contemplating a tour into what are called the Eastern 

 Townships, and which have since become the scene of opera 

 tions of a new land company, I was obligingly furnished with 



