On Periodical Freshes. 143 



him that the Pumpkin fresh kept off until September. I 

 had occasion to go to Newburgh ;■ where, on the 2 th of 

 August was the heaviest rain ever known b\ the oldest 

 inhabitants : the floods were Mich as to wash down stone 

 fences that had stood forty or fifty years. 



When I reached home, I tound that the water had 

 been a few inches higher than ever marked before by 

 any of the fourteen year foods ; my farm was lying a com- 

 mon, as to fences ; and all covered with mud : to have a 

 farm so vxposed in the beginning of September, is more 

 inconvenient than in April : we had hay in plenty, and 

 stabled the stock. 



From my people I learned, that the rain was on the 

 28th of August, as at Newburgh : that the river being 

 very low, they were apprehensive there was not rain 

 enough to raise it to go with a raft : in the afterr.oor* it 

 began to rise faster than ever was seen before; that the 

 rafts tore away, with the drifting trees with which the 

 river seemed covered ; it almost all came out of the West 

 Branch ; which was four foot ten inches, or five feel high- 

 er than ever known before ; it swept every thing before it ; 

 and the damage was great. Bridges, mill-dams, &c. all 

 went together, and left a clear channel. My purrpkins, 

 cucumbers, melons, and beans, were totally killed, where- 

 ever the water came : where the water covered the tassels 

 of the corn, it killed it totally : where it cove red the silk 

 of the ears, those ears neither grew nor ripened any more: 

 where it only came round th. stalks below theear^, it bad 

 no perceivable effect ; the buckwheat was covered all 

 over, and bent down with a load of mud; it kept green 

 until frost, but ceased to grOw. My potatoes were all 

 under water ; V • .lid no 1 appeal! to be killed, but 

 neither tops nor iqpts grew any more. 



