American husbandry : manuscript, [ca. 1775-1789]. MS Am 1563. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

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Colonies the best parts of it may be supposed to be granted away or purchased which is the case but it is not thence to be apprehended that the greatest part of this large province is Cultivated. In the southern divisions the country is well settled so as in many places for miles together to have some resemblance of Old England but even in these there are very large tracts of Forest left which are private property and consequently cannot now be granted. The richest parts remaining now to be patented are on the northern branches of the Connecticut river towards Crown Point where are great districts of fertile soil still unsettled.

The north part of New Hampshire the province of Main and the Territory of Sagadahock have but few Settlements in them compared with the tracts yet unsettled and they have the

advantage

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advantage of many excellent Ports long navigable rivers with all the natural advantages that are found in other parts of this province. I should observe that these tracts since the Peace have been settling pretty fast. Farms on the River Connecticut are every day extending beyond the old for Drummer for near thirty miles and will in a few years reach to Kohasser which is near two Hundred Miles not that such a tract will be one tenth settled for the new comers do not fix near their neighbours and go on regularly but take spots that please them best tho twenty or thirty miles beyond any others. This to people of a sociable disposition in Europe would appear very strange but the Americans do not regard the near neighbourhood of other farmers. Twenty or Thirty miles by water

they

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they esteem no distance in matters of this sort besides in a Country that promises well the intermediate space is not long of filling up.

Between Connecticut River and Lake Champlain upon Otter Creek and all along Lake Sacrament adn the river that fall into it and the whole length of Wood Creek are numberous settlements made since the peace by the Acadians Canadians and others from different parts of New England.

The whole neighbourhood is a beautiful Country and produces as rich a soil as most in New England. The new settlers in those parts have cultivated common wheat with good success so that they have more feilds of it than of maise which is not the case in the Southern parts of New England to what this difference is owing I have not been informed.

In

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In the Province of Main particularly on the river which fall into the Sea near Brunswick there are many settlements made by Germans who have come over since the war - they are in general in a thriving condition as most of the settlers are in North America that are well situated for an immediate communication with the Sea.

Ships come very regularly to all the ports on this Coast to take in Loadings of Corn Salted provisions and Lumber for the West Indies by which means the farmers who also an engaged pretty deeply in the fishery on these Coasts have a ready opportunity of conveying all this surplus products to a regular market the great thing wanted in Canada. But still these northern Coasts of Main and Sagadahock are under the fatal Influence of that freezing climate which is bad enough in the South parts of New England

but

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but here approaches to the severity of Nova Scotia tho not so much involved in fogs ~

The particulars of the Husbandry of this province are extremely worthy of attention because it is as it were between the most northerly Colonies and the central ones which are of an acknowledged merit in the Climate etc.. The Crops commonly cultivated are first Maise which is the grand product of the Country and upon which the Inhabitants principally feed.

It is not however to the exclusion of Common wheat which in a few districts is cultivated with Success. It would be usless to give a particular description of this plant which is so generally known - It's culture has something particular in it and therefore should be mentioned more particularly

It is a very large branching plant which requires a good share of nourishment so as to be planted

singly