^S6 OB SERVATIONS Part IV. 



December. 



>• As it froze alinoil continually during all this month, the culture 

 of the earth v,as interrupted, and our horfcs were emploj^ed iu 

 bringing wood from the forell:; which could not be done in the 

 kunmer, on account of the badnefs of the roads. 



Genera! idea of the icmpernture of the ah\ and of the produ£lions of 

 the earth, duj-'mg the Tear 1756. 



1 T7 E may be faid, in general, not to have had any frofls this 

 ' ' winter, fince there was not ice enough to fill our ice-houfes. 

 The air having been cold all the fummer, the vegetation of plants 

 made but little progrefs, tho'the earth was always very moift. 



Wheat. 



The corn came up very thin, and tiller'd but little. The wetnefs 

 of the weather made weeds gfoW, which, in many fields, got the 

 better of the corn, and choaked it.' The ruft which ^ffecSted the 

 blades of corn, ftopt the vegetation ; fo that the plants were greatly 

 ftinted in their growth. Thefe accidents did more hurt to the grain 

 that grew on iliff ground, tha^ to that which was on lighter foils. 

 As we were threatened with rain during the harveft, our farmers 

 houfed their corn before the weeds vvere well dried: the confequence 

 was, that fome of it heated fo in the barn, that part of the grain was 

 injured. Thofe who ufed this grain for feed, perceiving that it had 

 been hurt, fowed it very thick : but feveral others fowed much too 

 thin. The worfl was, that many poor farmers, finding their corn 

 not good enough for fowing, left part of their fields unfown, rather 

 than buy other corn^ which was then worth 24 livres, and was 

 expedled to fall to 18, after the harveft. 



Twenty-four Iheaves of the beft corn of this year's growth will 

 not yield above 80 pound weight of wheat; and, taking them one 

 with another, there mufl be near 30 fheaves to produce that quan- 

 tity ; though 1 2 will do it in a good year. This is not all : thtfep- 

 tier of the beft new wheat makes but 18 or 20 loaves, and fometimes 

 but 14 or 1 5 J whereas good old wheat makes 24. Notwithftanding 

 this difference, the old wheat fells for.no more than 24 or 25 livres, 

 . i u whilil 



