C 167 i 
yoiir hands make under a shed in rainy weather^ 
with which you build as well as with other stone* 
A man will make 30 stones a day of 14 French 
inches square ; this, where stone is scarce and dear, 
may often be of use. If the mould is round, you 
form stones for columns, which when covered with 
plaister, in every respect resemble stone, and are as 
hard as marble; this stone will make more wall 
than 1000 bricks if the brick wall is 18 inches t 
1000 bricks are with us, I believe, five dollars, be¬ 
sides the expense of cartage, and the greater quan¬ 
tity of lime and workmanship in building the wallj 
this difference will pay for giving the earthen wall a 
coat of plaister, which will render it as durable 
and more beautiful than brick. 
Ploughs, 
WiTii w^hatever plough the work is done in 
France, the ploughing is much more perfect than 
with us, nothing can be more even than the fur^ 
rows, and where the soil requires it, the water fur¬ 
rows are well cut, cleared and drawn out occasion¬ 
ally with a spade or hoe. Through great part of 
the country, the most common plough is an enor¬ 
mous large wheel plough, the wheels higher than 
the fore wheels of our waggons, and the fin of the 
plough very broad ; this is drawn by three horses, 
commonly two to the beam, and one leader. I 
have seen some few foot ploughs, but they are not 
common ; they break up in French Flanders, and 
indeed in many other parts of France with a double 
