BRUSSELS TO ENGHIEN. 315 



renting themselves on both sides of it. The sun shone 

 bright, and the air was agreeably warm. We encountered 

 a good many peasants driving their light carts to town, with 

 small cargoes of butter and cheese ; and met others on 

 foot, hurrying to market, with broad shallow baskets of 

 fruit on their heads ; the fruit consisting chiefly of plums, 

 pears, and apples. 



As we receded farther from Brussels, the road became 

 somewhat dull from its uniformity. We looked in vain for 

 the country-seats of proprietors, and could only now and 

 then descry a tolerable farm-house, distinguished by a vast 

 barn, which in general would easily contain within its ca- 

 pacious interior the dwelling-house and all the other offices. 

 The fields were still sufficiently large, but regular inci- 

 sures ceased to appear. The land seemed in general to 

 be good, but it was evidently ill cultivated, being overrun 

 with quick-grass. We noticed much land in fallow, and 

 we understand that this is common after rye. But such 

 fallows ! The ground seemed to have been ploughed on- 

 ly about three inches deep, and the people were now 

 poking at the surface with the hand-hoe, thus leaving 

 the deep-rooted perennial weeds in possession of the soil 

 We have reason to think, that much of the corn-land is 

 occupied by tenants destitute of capital ; and while this 

 continues to be the case, no great improvement of the agri- 

 culture can be expected. 



The wheat and rye harvest was universally over ; but in 

 many places the crops of oats and barley were still green, 

 having apparently been late sown. We saw only two or 

 three stacks of corn, the common practice of the country 

 being immediately to house the produce of the field in those 

 huge barns which have just been mentioned. Hop-planta- 

 tions were not uncommon ; but they were in general of 



