389 



•with a free use of timothy and clover-seed ; the result of which will create a change 

 in the system of some of the more enterprising. A great portion of the farms either 

 have some portion of the bay-coast, river, or inlet of salt-water. The winds and tide 

 deposit large quantities of sea-weed and ooze. The inlets are full of a muck rich ia 

 marine decompositions, and most of the woods are full of decayed leaves and vegetable 

 matter, in many places 12 to 15 inches deep. Then, again, at seasons the waters are 

 swarming with alewives, a small fish largely used in some localities for the production 

 of oil, the " scrap " of which makes a fertilizer of well-known merit. Oyster-shells can 

 be had in endless quantities. The lime is used in composts of the sea-ooze, leaves, and 

 vegetable matter, which compost is seasoned with the fish-scrap, and applied broad- 

 cast to the ground after plowing, and worked in with the harrow. The indications are 

 that in this way, by a comparatively very small outlay, the lost elements of the soils are 

 restored to their original fertility. The dried scrap, under the name of fish-guano, is 

 Bold at $15 per ton, and an application of 250 to 300 pounds per acre, (without being 

 composted as above,) when applied to corn, produced a marked improvement over even 

 a liberal application of stable-manure, and when seeded to timothy continued to show 

 like results. 



Improved farms, i. e., farms with fair fences and comfortable and spacious buildings, 

 can be bought for $10 to $30 per acre, with all necessary timber. The higher-priced 

 ones are those that have oyster-coves. The waters abound in oysters and other shell- 

 fish, crabs, terrapin, wild fowl, and the best of fish. 



The staple productions are tobacco, wheat, and com. A limited quantity of beef is 

 shipped, and a few sheep are kept on nearly every farm. Sheep do remarkably well 

 here, the stock being very healthy and the wool finding a ready market in Baltimore, and 

 lambs selling in Baltimore and Washington at a high price. The principal timber is 

 white and yellow pine, oak, gum, walnut, beech, and holly. With the exception of 

 the Hessian fiy, there are few insects to injure the crops. Fruits are neglected, 

 but enough is cultivated to prove they would do well if tried. Mr. Logan Smith, near 

 Point Lookout, has 500 peach-trees in full bearing and looking thrifty and in good 

 ^ health, although neglected. An examination of most of the apple-trees seen in my 

 ' tour failed to discover a case of the borer's ravages, that almost universal pest of the 

 southern apple-orchardist. I saw several specimens of very old pear-trees, probably 

 planted more than one hundred years, much neglected, but still bearing fruit; 

 also saw several " damsons " with no visitations from the " little turk." The health 

 of the region is good, very little malaria, and typhoid fever is unknown. 



In conclusion, the result of my observations here for the past year induces me t« 

 believe there is no more desirable locality for the establishment of an agreeable and 

 pleasant home than Southern Maryland, and especially the lower portion of Saint 

 Mary's county. The healthfulness, cheaiJness, and quality of land, and ease of cultiva- 

 tion, great variety of productions of which the soil is capable, abundance of fertilizers, 

 the multitude of luxuries of land and sea, convenient and cheap communication with 

 •ity markets, the delightful climate, cool salt sea-breezes of summer and open winters, 

 certainly make it a favored region for the agriculturist of wealth or limited means 

 who desires to live under his own vine and fig-tree. 



It will be seen from the table that not only the prices of land 

 in the Eastern Shore section are quite high in the northern part, though 

 low at the southern extremity of the peninsula, but the value of annual 

 production is highest in Cecil of any county in the State, and nearly as 

 high in Kent. It is a region of great resources and large capabilities, 

 in which climate and water-transportation play an important part. 



Cecil is at the head of Chesapeake Bay, and is intersected by Elk and 

 Korth Rivers. The soil of the northwestern portion is granitic. Mr. 

 A. De Witt thinks values have declined since 1870, prices now ranging 

 from $10 to $100. There is some marsh-land, valued at $15 to $20, for 

 pasture. The best land is in the western border, and on bottoms, but 

 aU requires fertilizing. 



Kent lies between the Chesapeake and the line of Delaware, with the 

 Sassafras River as its northern boundary and the Chester as its south- 

 ern. It has a rolling surface and a soil of medium quality, susceptible 

 of high improvement. Mr. John W. Collins estimates the usual yield 

 of wheat at 12 bushels, running from 6 to 25. He thinks two-fifths of 

 the land could be bought reasonably. 



Queen Anne is a central county of this belt, lying between Chester 

 River on one side and Caroline and Tuckahoe on the other, with an undu- 



