The cultivation of his farm makes him strong and healthful. He toils cheerfully through the day; eats the fruit of his own labor with a gladsome heart; at night devoutly thanks his bounteous God for his daily blessings; retires to rest, and his sleep is sweet.⁷

Siting a farm in the Uplands required careful planning, and many factors had to be taken into account. The richest soils are found on the flood plains of the many rivers that wind their way through the Uplands. There, the soils are replenished by fertile sediments from the big flood of every few years. But although the soil is richer, the shade of surrounding hills shortens the growing season in the river valleys, especially in the narrower valleys. In addition, the same flooding that gives the valleys their rich soil was also something to be feared. Furthermore, there was a common superstition that valleys contained "ill humors" that were bad for the health of families and livestock. The colonists thus were more

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