54 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Attracted by reports of prosperous times in P. E. Island or forced to move by 'he pressure of hard times at home, or actuated by both these motives combined, ship— loads of immigrants occa- ' sionally came out from England, Ireland and Scot— land. These accepted holdings in the woods ad— jacent to the earlier clear- ings. In their efforts to subdue the forest, these later settlers had the ad- vantage of the roads, mills and other conveniences obtained as a result of the labours of the earlier ‘ settlers; and they on their part supplied to the little colony in the woods some of the products of handi- craft and culture in the mother land. Not the least important of these were the peripatetic preachers and teachers who went from 1 cabin to cabin, preaching and teaching during the days and evenings and sleeping at nights in the big “settle-bed” upon the cabin floor.

The whole of Prince Ed— ward Island, and its early

inhabitants, were thus, for the most part, gradually

brought into a state of cul- tivation. Year by year, larger crops of oats and potatoes were grown for consumption at home and shipment abroad. The reap- ing-hook, ere long, gave place to the Scythe and cradle, and the ponderous,

VIEW mom TEA mu. six-horse threshing machine was usedi nstead of the simple flail. The Crimean War,

theIndian Mutiny, the more recent Civil War in the United States, and the Franco— German War, had the effect of quickening the prices of farm produce over a considerable period; and, at the same time there was a demand for wooden ships while yet our supply of timber was unexhausted.