468 



FARMERS' REGISTER— RICHMOND AND POTOMAC RAILWAY. 



means of improving iheir fiirnis. Many of us 

 now make 20 and 30 loads ol' manure where we 

 formerly made one — we attend more in person to 

 our business, relying less upon overseers and our 

 negroes to conduct and n)anatye business in tlieir 

 own way. The more attenlion we give to our 

 farming business, the more interest we feel in their 

 good management and in>j)rov'ement: and, much 

 to our satisfaction, we fmd our crops come in more 

 abundantly, though the drought last summer in- 

 jured our crops very much. The cotton crop I 

 think is lessened one half in my neighborhood — 

 the disadvantages under which we labor to guard 

 our crops from the ravages of stock in this county 

 is a serious one. The time now spent, every year 

 in getting rails, hauling them, and putting up and 

 repairing tences, v/ould be, undf-r other circum- 

 stances, very advantageously applied to the collect- 

 ing and raising manure, wliich in a few years, 

 would produce a very desirable change in tlie ap- 

 pearance of our old worn out fields. I am glad to 

 Bee that this important matter is now being han- 

 dled by abler pens than mine; and I hope sincerely, 

 it will not be long before our legislature will take up 

 the subject, and pass a law requiring every person 

 to keep their stock enclosed, and thereby reduce 

 oar fencing to standing pastures onl3\ I think 

 the Assembly might do more essential good in 

 legislating upon this subject — a matter coming di- 

 rectl)^ under their supervision — than all they ha.ve 

 Baid, and can say or do, in relation to the constitu- 

 tionality or unconstitutionality of the United States 

 Bank, and the removal of the public moneys from 

 its vaults, about which so much was said last win- 

 ter, and all to no good effect. 



Some time ago I propounded some queiies to 

 you, concerning the seeding and growth of herds 

 grass, which I perceive was lost or mislaid, and 

 therefore not inserted in your last, number. I in- 

 tended to have seeded several acres of land in that 

 kind of grass this tall, but have declined it until 

 spring, tlie greater part of which is low, wet and 

 oozy, consequently cold and unproductive in corn, 

 except occasionally, when we have a -warm dry 

 season, and but moderate rains in summer. Would 

 it be proper to fill up (he ditches in preparing the 

 land for the seed, so as to have it an entire level 

 surface, as nearly so as possible? Some of these 

 wet places are within a few hundred j^ards of my 

 dwelling — is it probable that the health of the 

 family would be affected by the growth of the 



f^rass', or its conversion into hay? or would it be 

 ess apt to affect the health if kept constantly 

 grazed close? Your opinion in relation to the 

 value and growth of this grass generally, would be 

 gratiiying to me. 



A. B. 



Sarnj Couniij, November \7th, 1834. 



RICHMOND, FREDEUICKSBURG AND POTOMAC 

 KAII^V/AY. 



The friends of this important work will be 

 pleased to learn, that the location of the first sec- 

 tion is nearly completed, and is likely to be placed 

 under contract in the early part of the winter. The 

 Compiler says: 



The location of the first 18 miles of our rail 

 road is now rapid!}' progressing, and is expected 

 to be prepared {or: cotitract at an early period of 

 the winter. It is understood that the improve- 



ments which have been made both as to the 

 character and expense of this portion of the road, 

 are greater even than were anticipated by the en- 

 gineer of the work, Moncure Robinson, Esq at 

 the tinu; of making his report in January last. — 

 The portion of the line, from the probable point 

 of liranching to the coal pits, to Richmond, is so 

 peculiarly fiivorable, that a locomotive engine 

 can transport over it whh ease 2000 bushels of 

 coal at a load. The Valley of Falling Creek 

 which is used in effecting a descent to that of the 

 South Anna, is believed to possess decided advan- 

 tages over any other approach to this river or the 

 Pamunk}', within ten nu'les in either direction. 



The Avhole, cost of the road when completed 

 to this valley will fall short of Ca40,000. The 

 line passes through large tracts of woodland, 

 tlie owners of wliich can send wood to market, 

 during the winter montlis, at a profit to themselves 

 as well as to the company. All damages have 

 been relinquished by the landholders, and timber 

 for the purposes of the company is abundant. 



On the whole we may look with entire confi- 

 dence to the completion of this third part of the 

 road in one year from this time, and during the 

 winter of 18S5-,6 a large amount of business may 

 be expected to be done. 



LIST OF RAIL ROADS AND CANALS, COM- 

 PLETED, OR IN PROGRESS, IN THE UNITED 

 STATES. 



[The following list wliich is annexed to Tanner's 

 Rail Road Map, may be useful as well as interesting, 

 though probably all the care and accuracy for which 

 Mr. Tanner is distinguished, have not prevented im- 

 portant errors being admitted. A striking example is 

 presented in putting down, as completed, a rail road from 

 Petersburg to Richmond, a route on which such a 

 work has not yet been proposed, nor even thought of 

 seriously. There are also sundry errors of the press 

 which are doubtless attributable to the reprint which 

 we copy, not having seen the original publication.] 



3Iaine 



Length. Cost. 



Cumb'd and Oxford Canal, 20'^ miles ^250,000 



N'ew Hampshire. 



Vermont. 



There are several canals in this State, viz. Bel- 

 low's Falls, A ei-quec ney, and White River, all 

 of which are designed to overcome falls in the 

 Connecticut river. 



Massackv^elis. 



