124 



FARMERS' REGISTER— FREDERICKSBURG RAILWAY. 



sown, hut. principally on corn-land, a small portion 

 of it after tobacco. ■ Scarcely any persons among 

 us fallow for wheat, and nobody has more than 

 three shifts. All the manure from our fiirm-pens, 

 and that a much .smaller ciuantity than might be 

 made with a little industry, is hterally poured out 

 on a .small spot intended for tobacco, to the utter 

 deprivation of the remainder of our lands, most 

 of which, are of course in a rapid state of deterio- 

 ration. Many of us are. convinced of the expe- 

 diency; nay necessity, for a change in our ftiode 

 of cultivation. No individual has as yet been 

 found among us combining the reciuisite qualifi- 

 cation.s of energy, industry, some capital, and 

 above all a determination to endure any p^y in- 

 conveniences, and overcome any small difRetdties 

 in the way, who will set an example of successfiil 

 improvement to his neighbors. It is to be hoped, 

 however, that some such person will in a short 

 time give an impulse to our agricultural eflbrts. 

 and enable us to contribute our mite. oi" informa- 

 tion to your valuable paper. * * * 



On the 14th, 1.5th, 16th, 17tli and 18th of May, 

 we had frosts, which on several of these mornings 

 seriously injured vegetation. In some parts of the 

 surrounding country, the corn and tobacco plants 

 Avere bitten do-ivn to the roots, and scarcely any 

 cultivator of cither, escaped entirely without da- 

 mage. I am compelled to get my letter ready to 

 be sent to the ])ost oillce, and no doubt very much 

 lo your relief, have'only time toadd my best wishes 

 lor the success of your patriotic and hazardous at- 

 tempt to turn the attention of Virginians to a 

 mgde of internal improvement, depending princi- 

 pally on each individual, and independent of legis- 

 lative patronage, * ■ * * * 



Buckingham Court House, Jane ^th, 1834. 

 • Wheoi not as good a crop as Avas expected eai'ly 

 in the sj)ring — not as tall as wished — grayi good — 

 supposed about an average crop. Harvest will 

 generally commence on Monday next the 23d 

 (June) in this part of the county. — ^Oats verj- 

 good. — Corn very small for the time' of year.-^- 

 Clover not worth cutting hardly, except on good 

 lots, where the land is very rich. 



The fi-ost of the 16th May did butlitde injury to 

 the crops in this neighborhood. - 



Much more attention is j)aid to farming and im- 

 ]>rovin^ the land in this part of the country than 

 liirmerly. The extent of tobacco cultivation is 

 very much lessened. 



Several gentlemen of the neighborhood have 

 commenced improving the breed of neat cattle, 

 sheep, and hogs, &c. Several of Meade's (of Fred- 

 crick) fine cattle- arc in this neighborhood. 



, P. S. On the 4th of June the upper end and 

 S3uth end of this county was visited by a tremen- 

 dous hail storm and wind sweeping ever^' thing 

 before it, destroying entirely, the crops in its course 

 — hail as large as eggs — many houses were blown 

 down, and other serious damages done to trees, 

 fencing, &c. 



RTCIIBIOND, FREDDRICKSBURG AND POTOMAC 

 RAILWAY. 



[Tlie unusual quickness with wliich a very large 

 srdjscription lias been made for the Richmond and 

 Fredericksburg railway as statedbelow, (and especially 



in this time of general pecuniary distress, which affects 

 injuriously every such undertaking,) furnishes a grat- 

 ifying augury of the complete success of the worlc . 

 Northern capitalists, whose object of coarse is to ob- 

 tain the best interest for their money, hav£ contributed 

 very largely to this subscription; and theij participa- 

 tion to so greiat an extent, is another sti'ong proof of 

 the profits expected to be .derived.] 



From llie RiclimonJ Compiler. 



The hooks were closed yesterday. The residt 

 will appear from the advertisement of the com- 

 missioners in another column. More than three 

 thousand shares of the stock have been subscribed; 

 and the company is to be immediately organized. 

 A meeting of the stockholders is called for this 

 day week; at which time a president and five di- 

 rectors will be elected. 



It is gratifying to perceive how much has been 

 accomplished in this instance' by the efforts of a 

 few individuals. It is less than a year since the 

 scheme was first suggested in our paper. Many 

 then pronounced it wholly visionarj^ In a few 

 months, public sentiment was manifested most 

 strongly in its favor — so strongly that in October 

 when a small sum was wantingto defray the ex- 

 pense of surveying the route, we believe subscrip- 

 tions would most readily have been obtamed for 

 the whole amount necessary' to execute the work. 

 Since then a pressure has occurred in the money 

 mai-ket, so great that many of those most strongly 

 in favor of the railway thought it would be imprac- 

 ticable to raise money for this or any other work at 

 tlie present time, The commissioners however 

 determined to make an effort, to obtain tlue sum 

 requisite to organize the company; and that effort 

 has proved successfU. Nothing can show more 

 strongly the confidence now felt.in the scheme than 

 the fact that stock to the amount of ^300,000 hae 

 been taken, notwithstanding the pressure univer- 

 sally complained of. The truth is that in this city, 

 the opinion is nov/ general— indeed almost univer- 

 sal — that an investment in this stock Will prove an 

 exceedingly good one. 



So soon as the president and directors are elect- 

 ed, prornpt measures will be takenfor the location 

 of the road. By November or December, it is be- 

 lieved fhat it will be practicable to put thirty miles 

 of it luider contract. And in January the contract- 

 ors will be able to commence the execution of the 

 work. . In three years it will probably be finished 

 to Fredericksburg, and then the trip may be made 

 fi-om Richmond "to Washington in eight hours — 

 between an early breakfast and a late dinner. 

 When that happens the passengers between these 

 two cities will be almost. without number. Then 

 our representative in congress will never be at a 

 loss to know the wishes of' his constituents. He 

 Avill be able to visit us once a week without neglect- 

 ing at all the public business. 



Even before the completion of the rail road, ifs 

 effects will be very perceptible. It will no doubt 

 be commenced near this city, and when it reaches 

 as far as the Pamunky, there wdl be a considera- 

 ble quantity of produce and a good number of 

 passengers upon it. Dividends may then be de- 

 clared, and thus the stockholders will be receiving 

 the profits of their stock before they have paid up 

 the whole amount. The arrival of the cars at 



