as foon as the (hows are melted and the water fuf- 

 ficiently drained off, they begin with preparing the 

 ground, which is done by furring it flightly with a 

 crooked piece of wood, the handle of which is very 

 long, after having fet fire r to the dried ftalks of 

 of their maize and other herbs which have remain- 

 ed fince the laft harveft. Befides that, thofe forts 

 of grain which are cultivated by thefe people are all 

 fummer corn, they pretend that the nature of the 

 foil of this country, will not permit them to fow 

 any thing before the winter. But I believe that the 

 true reafon why corn would not fprout, if it were 

 to be fown in autumn, is either that it would fpoil 

 during the winter, or would rot on the melting of 

 the fnows. It may alfo be, and it is the opinion of 

 feveral perfons, that the corn which is fown in Ca- 

 nada, though originally come from France, has 

 contracted, through length of time, the nature and 

 properties of fummer corn, which is not ftrong 

 enough to fprout feveral times, as it happens to 

 fuch forts of grain as we fow in September and 

 October. 



Beans or rather Caravanches are fown with maize, 

 the ftalk of which ferves for a fupport to them ; 

 I think I remember to have been told, that it is 

 from us the Indians received this fort of pulfe, 

 which they hold in great efteem, and which, in 

 fad, differs nothing from ours. But what 1 am 

 furprized at is, that they make little or no ufe of 

 our peas, which have acquired in the foil of Cana- 

 da a degree of excellence, much fuperior to what 

 they have in Europe. Turnfoles, water melons, 

 and pompions, are firft raifed in a hot-bed and af- 

 terwards tranfplanted. 



Tha 



4 



