New Jerfey, Raccoon. 149 



where we make ufe of Lime- free bark in 

 Europe. The tree itfelf is very tough, and 

 you cannot eaiily feparate its branches with- 

 out the help of a knife : fome people em- 

 ploy the twigs for rods. 



April the 2cth. THIS day I found the 

 Strawberries in flower, for the firft time, 

 this year : the fruit is commonly larger 

 than that in Sweden; but it feems to be 

 Jefs fweet and agreeable. 



The annual harveft, I am told, is al- 

 ways of fuch a nature, that it affords 

 plenty of bread for the inhabitants, though 

 it turns out to greater advantage in fome 

 years than it does in others. A venerable 

 feptuagenary Swede, called Aoke Helm, af- 

 fured me, that in his time no abfolutely bar- 

 ren crop had been met with, but that the 

 people had always had pretty plentiful 

 crops. It is like wife to be obferved, that 

 the people eat their bread of maize, rye, 

 or wheat, quite pure and free from the in- 

 ferior kinds of corn, and clear of hufks, 

 ftalks, or other impurities. Many aged 

 Swedes and EngHJhmen confirmed this "ac- 

 count, and faid, that they could not re- 

 member any crop fo bad as to make the 

 people fuffer in the leaft, much lefs that 

 any body was ftarved to death, whilft they 

 were in America. Sometirries the price of 

 K 3 



