1838] 



F;A R M E R S ' REGISTER 



183 



"sheet of burnished <rolcl," I'lilly as much as Scott's 

 Loch Kuiriuc. Tliorc is another appearance of 

 the sun-hght on the water which was to nie more 

 novel, and therelbre still more striking, lietween 

 S and 9 o'clock in the morning, when ridnig along 

 the ridge oi" the high-land, 1 came in sight of the 

 distant" and wide waters of the JNlolijack, or per- 

 haps oi the main Chesapeake beyond. These 

 waters, thus seen over tiie to|)s of high woods, al- 

 ways presented, lo.tlie unaccustomed eye, the op- 

 tical delusion of the water appearing full as high 

 as the tops of tlie highest irees ; and in addition, 

 in this case, the water being directly beneath the 

 sun's position, received from it no red or liery re- 

 flection, but the white and dazzling brilliancy ol 

 snow, seen in bright sunshine. 



There are otlier and great beauties of these wind- 

 ing and narrow sea-creeks or hays, which are im- 

 properly called rivers, and which misnomer serves 

 to convey very lalse ideas of these waters. To 

 me, and probably to most other inhabitants of 

 lower Virginia, there are associated with a small 

 lide-water river, the ideas of head- streams con- 

 tributing irregularly, but largely, to the supply of 

 always muddy water — muddy shores, and the mar- 

 gins bordered and delbrmed in many places by 

 large miry marshes — and these visible characters 

 inseparably connected with the stench of decaying 

 vegetation, and the certain production of disease. 

 But very different are the leatures of these arms 

 of the Mobjack bay. Except the Ware, none of 

 them receive but a very small supply of fresh wa- 

 ter from springs, streams or rains.. They are filled 

 with refluent sea-water, as clear as crystal, and 

 pure except Ibrsaltness. There is very little marsh 

 on either, and on North river, none; which, by 

 giving clean and firm shores every where, renders 

 that river and its margins more beautiful than any 

 other. The general level of the low-ground re- 

 gion is supposed to he not more than six feet above 

 the height of common high tide — and generally 

 less; and as there is no sensible decline to the 

 water's cdfje, the waters seem to fill their broad 

 basins to the brims. The very winding courses 

 of these waters present continued changes of 

 prospect, and yet almost always that of lakes. 

 Though every one of the numerous mansions on 

 the North river farms, as on the other rivers, is 

 placed close to the water's edge, still the crooked- 

 ness of the course serves to scatter them over a 

 wide space, and prevents that uniformity of ap- 

 pearance that would be expected from such an ar- 

 rangement. The waters of North river, especial- 

 ly, confined by such banks, are beautiful ; whether 

 Been in calm repose, or enough atl'ected hy the 

 wind to crest the sea-green Avaves with white 

 foam. It is, with all its accompaniments, a scene, 

 and a condition of things, more like romance than 

 real life; and to a writer of romance, I would es- 

 pecially recommend the North river of Gloucester 

 to furnish both scenery and subject matter. But 

 it is full time to return from this digression from 

 my proper subject. 



It is not unlikely that the uniform level of this 

 region may appear too monotonous, and become 

 wearisome, when the novelty is over; and also 

 that tliis feature is the more pleasing to me, from 

 another early association of ideas, which is not al- 

 ways correctly applied here. Very low and level 

 land, wherever 1 have known it before, is also 

 very rich land; and this idea gives the more of 



agricultural beauty to this extensive flat, because 

 the fertility of the whole, as seen indistinctly in 

 the distance, is raised hy the imagination much 

 higher than would be found real, upon closer in- 

 spection, and longer acquaintance. 



It is not my y)urpose here to describe the farm- 

 ing in general, or any of the practices with particu- 

 larity. For this, I had neither sufficient time, nor 

 opportunity, stranger as 1 was to every thing in 

 the county. A very slight sketch is all that will 

 be attempted. 



Tlie rotation most in use on the low-grounds, is 

 the three-shift; of 1st, corn, 2d wheat, barley, or 

 oals, '.id, rest, as it is called, which is grazing, 

 either on clover, or without. The two-shift rota- 

 tion, which is simply that of the first two years of 

 the other, and, of course, without any rest from an 

 annual crop of some kind of grain, was formerly 

 general, and is even now still pursued by many. 

 None but excellently constituted soil could have so 

 long borne so scourging a course as even the mild- 

 est of these two; especially as very little manure 

 was used, until recently, except on a lew farms. 

 Five years ago, clover Avas sown but on a thw 

 spots, and to a very limited extent, though noAv it 

 is on almost every farm, and usually covers a large 

 part of the field which is third in the course of 

 crops. In addition to this late and vital improve- 

 ment, I was told by several farmers that the whole 

 quantify of manure now used in 'one year, is ten- 

 fold greater than a very Cew years ago; and that a 

 strong and effective impulse has certainly been 

 given to the general improvement of agriculture 

 in the whole county. This impulse, in part, Avaa 

 said to have been received from the contents of the- 

 Farmers' Register. Of the correctness of this 

 supposition it was not for me to judge; and if other- 

 wise, it would have been too gratifying, to be 

 much questioned, or severely scrutinized. 



Besides the manures furnished by the ofl'al of 

 crops, passed through the fiirm-yard, or stable, as 

 elsewhere, the improving farmers of the low- 

 grounds have found and have used, and are yet in 

 the course of using, great and valuable supplies, in 

 the ancient accumulations of oyster-shells and 

 rich earth, &c. made on all old settlements, either 

 by the present inhabitants, or the aborigines. In 

 some few places, the Indian banks of oyster-shells 

 still cover acres of their former towns, and would 

 furnish much of calcareous as well as of enriching 

 manure. But the more recent accumulations are 

 those mostly used, and these also were large, as the 

 removal had been long neglected. Of the great 

 body of marl, lying under all the low-grounds, but 

 little has been used as manure, and there is too 

 little confidence, in general, in its profit on the 

 low-grounds, to induce the application. Some farm- 

 ers, however, are zealously engaged in marling 

 the low-grounds, and already consider their outlay 

 well repaid. Capt. Tabb, on North river, is as yet 

 the most extensive marler of low-ground; and he 

 thinks that whoever has enough leaves or woods- 

 litter, to^apply with or after marl, can make his 

 farm as rich as he may desire. 



Though I would strongly urge the marling of 

 all the low-grounds, (unless any part be already 

 sufficiently calcareous,) and would expect great 

 profit therefrom, considering the uncommon ease 

 and cheapness with which the manure could be 

 applied, still, I do not expect from it any thing like 

 such large increased products to the acre, or per 



