328 



F A I? M E R S' R E G I S r E R. 



[No. 6 



weeks, I am somewhat pressed in time, but 

 tihoutjht proper to write you the resuH of my inqvii- 

 ries anrl ohserv'iUion? at tIii-< period, as 1 am sure 

 you will he ready to make allowance for want of 

 time, atid olher circnm?;ances. 



I cannot boast of elejTanc.e of style, but shall 

 Bludy to rrive you my ideas, founded as well upon 

 the inlbrmatioii I have received from others, as my 

 own experience; and if any of my communica- 

 tions prove acceptable, or useful to you, I shall es- 

 teem myself highly rewarded. You were pleased 

 to direct my ;in|uines chiefly towards York and 

 Franklin counties, in this state; I have accord- 

 infrly done so. and heg leave, in order lo be better 

 understood in my answers, to divide York county 

 info three districts, and to call Franklin county the 

 fourth district. 



First Dislrict. — York Valley, beginning at the 

 Susquehanna, at Wright's Ferry, and running 

 throutrh York country, including York Town, 

 M'Allister's Town (alias HanoverJ, and Peters- 

 burg (alias Littlestown), to the Maryland line, 

 near the latter place. In length about 39 miles, 

 in breadth from three to four miles. 



Second District. — The lands lyinrj on the rijrht 

 of that valley, odjoining the same, and bounded by 

 the river Susquehanna, the South JVlountain, and 

 the Maryland line. 



Third l>islrict. — The barrens of York, including 

 the lands on the south of York Valley, lo the Ma- 

 ryland line. 



Fourth District. — Franklin county. 



Answer to querj^ the first. — The fee-simple price 

 of larming lands in the first dislrict. may be aver- 

 aged at 0/. 15s. per acre*, (the dollar at 7s. 6rf.) 

 York Town lies 56 miles from Baltimore, 45 from 

 i-Jock-run, 55 from Christiana-brido-e, and89 miles 

 from the Philadeiphiamarketf. M'Allister's Town 

 is 18 miles from York, and 45 li'om Baliimore. Pe- 

 tersbnrg is seven miles from M'Allister's and 48 

 from Baltimore. 



The soil of this valley is of the lime-stone kind, 

 and is rather of a rich quality v/hen fresh ; it is 

 generally covered with a black mould. Some 

 spots, however, are inclined to jjravel or slate, from 

 the intrusion of a few small hills. The proportion 

 of meadow ground to arable land, may be as one 

 to twelve ; more than one half of the arable land 

 is, generally, in grass lor pasture, sown every 

 third year with red clover, or timothy seed. The 

 eettleraents have been so rapid in this district since 

 the year 1740, and the plantations are so close, as 

 not to leave more than a fourth of wood. The 

 farmsappear nearly all accommodated with running 

 springs. The inhabitants are mostly industrious 

 and careful. They are advancing by a steady 

 pace, and do not seem inclined to make many in- 

 novations upon the ancient practice of agriculture. 

 Indeed they are already strong in property; their 

 buildings, stock and, and cattle, all shovv it. The 



* Arable lands near the Susquehanna will sell from 

 121. to 201. an acre, and are very productive. Some 

 fields have furnished to the sjrower a clear profit of 41. 

 a year for three years followin<^ — cash price for tlie 

 arable lands of farms in the neighbourhood of York 

 lOl an acre, and they will demand the same price at 

 M'Allister's Town. 



t And 10.3 miles from the new city on the river 

 Potomac, intended lor the permanent residence of 

 the jrovernment of the United States. 



timber — locust, walnut, wild-cherry, hickory, black 

 oak, white oak, &c. 



In thf^ second disjrict, the fee-simple price of 

 farminii hmd niay be Jiverau-pd at ol. nud 10s. the 

 acre. The soil is geuerally of a reddish color, 

 sometimes mixed with sand. We call it sand- 

 stone land, through the greater part ofthe districi.* 

 The stale of agriculture there, is not so Mourishino" 

 as in the first district, thou^^h the country is thick- 

 ly settled, and you find plantations amongsi the 

 highest hills. 'J'he proportion of meadow to ara- 

 ble land may be somewha.t greater than in the first 

 district. The lands in many places being naturally 

 inclined to grass, the farmers here are not so careflil 

 of sowing grass-seed in their field?, as those in the 

 first district. The timber — walnut, black oak, 

 white oak, poplar, chestnut. &c. 



Third District. — This district is in general bad- 

 l_v timbered, and the soil poor, of the gravelly or 

 slate kind, and of a reddish cast, often mixed with 

 sand; notwithstanding these disadvantages, more 

 than half the barrens is under cultivation — the 

 wood composed of dwarf white oak, chestnut, &c. 

 The price per acre, may be estimated at thirty-five 

 shillingst. What is a little remarkable, the inha- 

 bitants of this district have paid their taxes with 

 more punctuality, than most other parts of the 

 state. Meadow land as to arable, may be as one 

 to fifteen; pasture grounds little attended lo. Be- 

 fore I proceed to Franklin, I would observe that the 

 great South Mountain (or Blue Ridge, as it is call- 

 ed in Virginia.) divides York from Franklin coun- 

 ty, and is from seven to ten miles in breadth; a 

 very small proportion of it can be cultivated. 



Fourth District. — Franklin is a compact coun- 

 ty, includino; Cumberland Valley, between the 

 South and North Mountainsfbr upwards of twenty- 

 five miles, and part of the ricli seiilement of Con- 

 nochegeague and Antitem. Fewsitualionsin Ame- 

 rica can claim a superior soil — it is nearly all lime- 

 stone land. The quantity of meadow as to ara- 

 ble land, may be counted in the same proportion 

 as in the first district of York county. About one 

 half of the improvable land is cleared. The resi- 

 due abounds in the largest locust, walnut, hickory, 

 and oaks. The county town is Chambersburg, 

 distant eighty miles of Baltimore, ninety honi 

 George Town, f and twenty-lour miles from Po- 



* I have said the land is in general of the sandstone 

 kind; but there are two large bodies at the foot of the 

 South Mountain, held by the Messrs. Carrolls, called 

 Carrollsburg, and Carrolls-Delight, under Maryland 

 grants, but now within the limits of Pennsylvania. 

 They are of the lime-stone quality, and so excellent, 

 that the arable lands would sell as high as those in the 

 neighborliood of M'Allister's town. Several other 

 farms in this district would sell from 6/. to Wl. an acre. 



f The lands have been averaged at thirty-five shil- 

 lings to the acre; but I mention that there is a tract of 

 fine land in this district, on the Susquehanna, called 

 Connyocliota — formerly tlie fields where the Marylan- 

 ders and Pennsylvanians used to meet in battle array, 

 contending for boundary — say upwards of 2000 acres, 

 at fiom 10/. to 15/. an acre. A consiilerable share of 

 this tract has been worked for upwards of 40 or 50 

 years, and is still capable of producing the best of 

 grain without any manure. 



I Adjoining to which, the new, or federal city, for 

 the permanent residence of the government of the 

 United States, is laid out — at the head of the tide na- 

 vigation of the river Potomac. 



