1 42 On Periodical Freshes. 



of Minesink, informed me that by the great spring 

 fresh in 1772, he alho hid a field of wheat ail turned 10 

 eheat, by being covered with water twenty-four hours or 

 longer. I had also some rv< covered like my wheat ; and 

 I believe it was of benefit to it, for it was unusually good. 



My heavy losses had then converted me to the Indian 

 belief of periodical floods every fourteen years. We had 

 no freshes as high by seven or eight ftet, until April 1814. 

 I was that spring detained in Philadelphia, and, full} ex- 

 pecting such a flood, I wrote to my people to draw the 

 fences, lumber, &x, out of the reach of such a flood. 

 They had obeyed my orders in part, when the flood came 

 by means of heavy warm rain taking off the snow sudden- 

 ly ; and rose the river to about the same height of the 

 other fourteen year flood : the wheat was only partially 

 covered with back water, and was partially turned to 

 cheat; the rye was manifestly benefited, I never saw 

 better. t 



A part of the flooded ground was ploughed for Indian 

 corn and buckwheat, which grew with a luxuriance 

 equal to the banks of the Nile. I am fully convinced, 

 that the mud deposited by such floods is a rich manure. 



It was singular that the spring flood of 1814 chi fly- 

 came out of the East Branch ; which was much higher 

 than ever known before : it swept the shores, and much 

 damage was done to the farms ; while the West Branch 

 and Susquehanna were not higher than in common spring 

 freshes. August 20th, 1814, my friend, John Hilborn, 

 who lives on the Great Bend of Susquehanna, c:>me to sec 

 me. He observed that the Indian rule of a flood every 

 four teen years was either broke or run out ; as, thai spring 

 their river had not been higher than common. 1 told 



