88 MEM O IR S of the 
as we do cabbages, raifing hills to fet every plant in, about the 
bignels of an ordinary mole-hill : Tobacco is fubjeft to leveral 
accidents and diftempers, as the worm, the fly, firing to turn, as 
they call it, Frenchmen^ and the like 5 the ieed of tobacco is 
very Imall, and confequently fo is the plant at firft, now if gleamy 
weather happen at that time, it breeds a fmall fly, which con- 
fumes the plume of the plant 5 what they call firing'i^^ when 
plants are of fmall fubftance, as when, upon a very wet and cold 
leafbn, very hot weather fuddenly enfues, the leaves turn brown 
and dry to duftj they call thole plants Frenchmen^ whofe leaves 
do not fpread and grow large, but rather fpire upwards and grow 
tall ; looie and Tandy Ibils are more fubjefl to them than ft iff 
land. 
A farther Account of Virginia 5 by Mr. Clayton. Phil. Tranf. 
N" 106. p. 978. 
T^lrginia in general is a very fertile foil, far lurpafling Eng- 
^ landj for ^Bnglip wheat (as they call it, to diftinguifli it 
from maize, commonly called Virginia wheat) yields generally 
between fifteen and thirty fold, with once only plowing 3 whereas 
it is a good crop in England., that yields above eight fold, after 
all their toil and labour 5 and they are the moil barren parts that 
are cultivated, the richer vales being leftuntilled for want of drain- 
ing them J fo that the richcfl; meadow lands, which is one third 
of the country, is boggy, in which they lole a great many of their 
cattle, efpecially in the beginning of the fpring, when the cattle 
are weak, and venture too far after young grafs^ whereas they 
might be greatly improved, for Virginia is generally fandy with 
a Ihallow foil: To prevent the ranknefs of their tobacco, they 
top it, that is, take away the little top-bud, when the plant has 
put forth as many leaves as they think the richnefs of the foil will 
bring to perfection, but generally when it has fhot forth four or 
fix leaves 3 and when the top-bud is cut, it puts forth no more 
leaves, but fide-branches, which they call luckers, and which 
they are always careful to take away, that they may not empove- 
rifli the leaves. 
As to the birds of this country, there are three f jrts of eagles; 
the largefl is what they call the grey eagle, being much of the 
colour of our kite or glade 3 the fccond is the bald eagle, for the 
body and part of the neck and head are covered with a white fort 
of down, whereby it looks very bald, whence the name 3 the third 
is the black eagle, refembling moil: of all the Englijlo eagle 5 
they generally build their ncSs on the top of fome tall old tree, 
flripped 
