Penjylvania 9 Philadelphia. 87 



little, or not at all, and chiefly lived upon hunting 

 and fifhing. The woods, therefore, have never 

 been meddkd with, except that fometimes afmall 

 part was destroyed by fire. The accounts which 

 we have of the firft landing of the Europeans here, 

 ihew that they found the country all over covered 

 with thick forefts.* From hence it follows, that, 

 excepting the higher trees, and the plants which 

 grow in the water or near the fhore, the reft muft, 

 for the greateft part, have been obliged to grow, 

 perhaps for a thoufand years together, in a {hade, 

 either below or between the trees, and they there- 

 fore naturally belong to thofe which are only pe- 

 culiar to woody and fhady places. The trees in 

 this country drop their leaves in fuch quantities 

 in autumn, that theground is covered with them 

 to the depth of four or five inches. Thefe leaves 

 lie a good while in the next fummer before they 

 moulder, and this muft of courfe hinder the 

 growth of the plants which are under the trees, 

 at the fame time depriving them of the few rays 

 of the fun, which can comedown to them through 

 the thick leaves at the top of the trees. Thefe caufes . 

 joined together make fuch plants flower much 

 later than they would otherwife do. May it not 

 therefore be faid, that in fo many centuries theie 

 plants had at laft contracted a habit of coming up 

 very late, and that it would now require a great 

 fpace of time to make them lofe this habit, and 

 ufe them to quicken their growth? 



Sept. 24th. WE employed this whole day in ga- 



* Vide Hackly?* colleft. voy. m. 246. 



G 4 thering 



