distance, winding over the hills toward other valleys and other villages. Indeed, the number of roads by which the country is cut up in every direction, crossing each other at short intervals, hither and thither, might alone lead a foreigner to suppose it much older in civilization; and when the great extent of the country and the date of its settlement are remembered, these roads bear very striking testimony to the spirit and activity of the people. It is true that many of them are very imperfectly worked, yet in summer and winter they are all in respectable condition, and many of them as good as need be; these new plank roads, which are just beginning, promise, indeed, to be admirable, and the workmanship, filling up hollows and grading hills, is often quite imposing. It must also be remembered that the climate is much against us in this respect, owing to the deep frosts of winter and sudden thaws of spring, which are enough to injure greatly the best-made roads in the world.
The soil, without being so rich as that farther west, is very good, and the school of agriculture respectable, though scarcely very scientific. A portion of the farmers are graziers and dairymen, and large herds are seen feeding in some pastures. Wool is also a staple of the county, and one cannot go very far without coming upon a flock of sheep, nibbling quietly by themselves, unwatched by dog or shepherd. During the summer months, the cattle of these valleys have generally good cause to be satisfied with their lot; the grass seldom fails, and those excessive heats, accompanied by long parching droughts—almost a matter of course in the lower counties—are seldom felt here; the continued warm weather of this last summer has been something uncommon. But though dryer than usual, our meadows are still greener than those
