ENPages
(seq. 36)
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not an uncommon custom but it is not executed so well as in England. they give this preperation to land that is pretty much exhausted and which they design for Maize or for Hemp which latter also requires the addition of much manuring. What they produce is good tho not equal to the Russian or even that of Old England but its requiring the very best rich lands in the province and also dunging prevents them raising even enough for their own Shipping which is large and demands large supplies of it. They have been urged by several counties even to a large amount to go largely into the Culture of Hemp which would certainly be a very national object since there is no Staple that any colony could raise would be more advantageous to Great Britain of save her the
expenditure
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expenditure of larger sums of money.
Flax they raise with much better success as it does not demand near so rich a soil as Hemp but the more southern Colonies much exceed New England even in this article for what is there raised is not sufficient for the home consumption of the very populous Colony whereas more to the South they import considerable quantities of flax seed.
In the best cultivated parts of New England Turnips are introducing in the feild culture but not in the manner they out to do this is an article that demands their attention greatly.
Pease Beans and Yams are sown variously throughout the Province but rarely an where managed as they are in the well cultivated parts of England But very planter or farmer grows
enough
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enough of food for fattening Hogs for supplying his own family and driving some fat ones to Markett. Hogs are throughout the province in good plenty and very large a considerable export from the Province constantly goes on in barreled Pork beside the vast demand there as for the Fishery and the Shipping in general.
Apples may be mentioned as an article of Culture throughout new England for there is no farmer even cottages without a large orchard some of them such extent that they make three of four Hundred barrells of Cyder a man besides exporting immense quantites of apples from all parts of the province.
The orchards in New England are reckoned as profitable as any other part of the plantation.
Among the other productions of the province I should not forget the woods which in the parts
not
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not brought into Culture are very noble. They consist of Oak, Ash, Elm, Chesnut, Cypress, Cedar, Beech, Fir, Sassafras and Shumac.
The Oak is very good and employed chiefly in Shipbuilding and fir yeilds very greatly for Masts Yards and plank even the Royal Navy is supplied from here with Masts of an extraordinary size and the export of lumber to the West Indies is one of the greatest articles in the province.
A large portion of every farm in New England consists of meadow and pasture land wherin it much resembles the better parts of Old England. In the low lands the meadows are rich yeilding large quantities of Hay which tho aparently course is yet much liked by all cattle - the common herbage of many of these is a grass which has made much noise in England under the name of Timothy grass. Two or three tons of hay an acre are not an uncommon
produce
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produce in these meadows.
The farmers find great advantage in keeping a large part of their farm for pasturage as they are thereby enabled to support large herds of Cattle and flocks of Sheep which much improve their farms. The Cattle commonly kept here are the same as in Great Britain Cows Oxen Horses Sheep and Hogs - they have large dairies which succeed quite as well as in Old England. Oxen they fatt to nearly as great a size Their mutton is good and the wool which their Sheep yeild is long but course which they manufactor into course Cloaths they are the common and only wear except the Gentry who purchase the fine Cloths of Britain.
No inconsiderable quantity of those course New England Cloths are also exported to other Colonies to the lower people of whom especially to the Northward
they