VEGETABLES — HAY. 63 



grown were of the varieties often found in similarly situated little 

 corner gardens, and consisted of turnips, cabbages, and potatoes. 

 The latter, of the species known as " Early Rose," were very small ; 

 while the turnips had turned out here as they do so often elsewhere 

 along the coast, rather small but very good. Of the cabbages, the 

 best that can be said of them is that they flavored an occasional 

 soup. Onions are rarely raised here, I saw only a few. The soil 

 is generally too sandy, being usually an elevated sea beach, to grow 

 much upon, and the vegetables suffer in consequence. The great 

 reason why farming is not made of more account here is the fact 

 that so few people have their houses where there is abundance of 

 soil proper for such work, and also the fact that they can purchase 

 quite fresh articles in the fall from the Quebec traders, at almost as 

 low prices as if they procured them in Quebec itself. 



Many of the people along the coast keep cattle, and the family 

 with whom we stayed possessed two heads besides numerous goats* 

 The cow gave fine milk, and a good generous amount of it, as did also 

 the goat ; the cream was thick and sweet, and the fresh butter 

 made twice or three times a week was really most excellent. The 

 cattle are fed upon a rather coarse, though sweet grass, which grows 

 in abundance on the level flats of the islands about. In the fall it 

 presents an appearance quite like that of a field of stunted grain, 

 since it is of a brown color and quite high, with light tassels hang- 

 ing drooping downward and stirred with every breath of wind. Sev- 

 eral species are very common and combined from excellent hay : 

 with Poa pratensis, we find both Hierochloa borealis^ and Elynius 

 mollis, though the first mentioned one is without all doubt the most 

 excellent grass or hay here for the cattle. The majority of the 

 low grass grows in thick matted clumps, this is undoubtedly because 

 it is not cut sufficiently often to produce a large and thinner variety ; 

 it is much like our "rowen," however, and seems to answer nicely for 

 the cows. In the summer there is plenty of first class feed, and good 

 pasturage anywhere. The cattle are let out to graze at will ; when 

 evening comes they are sought after among the dells and vales of the 

 neighboring region and driven home. It is often no slight job to 



