VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 33 



straw rope fastened to the harrow, and passing over 

 their shoulders. This I have seen them do, at the 

 same time that the men were lying beside them 

 looking on. 



In Mainland, where the farms are more level 

 and extensive, they make use of a sort of plough, 

 such as was common in times of remote antiquity, 

 and which a man may carry to any distance in 

 one hand. The ploughman walks by the side of 

 the plough, which he directs by a small handle 

 fixed on the top of it. The driver (if so he may- 

 be called) goes before the oxen, and pulls them 

 on by a rope tied round their horns ; and some 

 with spades follow, to level the furrow and break 

 the clods. Such seed as I saw, was not so gor 1 

 as that called drawings, or small corn, in Brit? ■ 

 and was also chaffy, and seemingly of a bad 

 cies. From the appearance of a stubble, ; ' jt 

 evident that their crops were neither luxuri L^ 

 prolific. 



So prevalent is their rase for fish' , . , 



iii i • i , -. • , AV & that the 



only land used in husbandry is t> , , 



. .iat along the sea 



coast, which bears no proportio - ... , . 



. . , .a to that lying waste 



and uncultivated. 



In some places where r .,._.. 



. ... the soil is fertile, the crops 



are early, especially ,. . , ... 



where the substratum is hme- 



c.5 



,■-"=.»*-** 



..'-»• 



