THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



275 



the four farms totjether tnke in much the greater 

 and also ihe most lertile part oC the whole 

 peninsula. 



The Brandon lands have (he same features that 

 distinguish all the ancient alluvial lands of James 

 river in general. The surlace is abundantly level, 

 yet not entirely so any where ; but gently un- 

 dulating, so as to be almost every where quite 

 free (rom the usual evil of rich low lands, excess 

 of water, from which these lands would have been 

 mostly free, even without any draining. But 

 still there was much that required draining, and 

 which, by that mode of improvement, has been 

 rendered as dry as the higher part. The sur- 

 lace of the land is in the Ibrm of many low and 

 long knolls or broad ridges, gently sinking at 

 their sides and terminations, and separated from 

 each other by shallow and narrow depressions. 

 These depressions, Ibr want of sufficient outlets, 

 were originally ponds, covered with still and 

 nearly stagnant collections of rain water, either 

 during part or all of the year. But there was 

 very little of spring water, or other than surface 

 or rain water, to be removed, and of course the 

 draining was easy and effective. 



The soil in general is a reddish-brown loam, 

 well known by the provincial term " mulatto 

 land." The soil is deep, and the sub soil so little 

 different from the soil in general appearance, that 

 it may well be supposed to have been of the same 

 formation by deposiie from the same originally 

 overflowing waters. The texture of the soil va- 

 ries, in different parts, li-om clay loam to very 

 sandy and light loam. But, as all know who are 

 acquainted with "mulatto soil," the siiff'est is 

 not too stiff and intractable for easy cultivation, or 

 loo close for the profitable growth of corn ; and the 

 most sandy, if properly constituted otherwise, is 

 not too light and open for wheat or clover. The 

 peculiar value of " mulatto land," and which 

 value belongs to all the tracts named above as 

 of ancient alluvial formation, must be owing to a 

 happy combination of lime and oxide of iron, 

 with the other ordinary ingredients of the soil. 

 All these lands, like Brandon, were doubtless 

 originally very rich ; and though since greatly worn 

 and exhausted, and reduced low in product, can 

 be easily, brought back, byjudicious management, 

 to a high state of fertility. There is no carbonate 

 of lime in these soils, however, (which deficiency 

 is almost universal in eastern Virginia,) but the 

 lime in some other form of combination must be 

 in sufficient quantity to give to the soil the pow- 

 er to combine with and retain putrescent manures 

 — to produce clover to some extent and profit— 

 and to receive benefit to clover from gypsum ; 

 neither of which three qualities belong to any of 

 the naturally poor lands of the tide-water region 

 of Virginia. On the other hand, there was not 

 enough lime naturally, in the Brandon and other 

 similar soils, to forbid the growth of sheep-sorrel, 

 (runiex acetocella,) and poverty grass, {aristida 

 gracilis,) when reduced to poverty, nor to prevent 

 there being produced great and marked im- 

 provement when more lime is given to the 

 soil. Indeed, it is almost exclusively on this 

 kind of land that have been made the great im- 

 provements by liming, and by clover and gypsum 

 in connexion with and after liming, on tfie lower 

 James river. There is no reason, in the charac- 

 ter of the soil, why the use of liine should have 



been so far almost confined to these lands. But 

 there were two other reasons why the use should 

 have been first commenced there, and the im- 

 provement prosecuted with more vigor than else- 

 where. The first reason was, that these lands 

 are altogether deprived of marl, which is so ge- 

 nerally in abundance under the hilly or high and 

 poor lands adjacent. In the second place, these 

 fine lands were mostly held by wealthy and in- 

 telligent farmers, and such are more capable of 

 appreciating proposed improvements, and more 

 able and ready to execute them. 



The former ponds, though having now been 

 for a long time as dry and as regularly and as 

 well cultivated as the originally dry intervals, 

 are altogether ol difftjrent soil. They are of a 

 whitish gray clay, extremely intractable and dif- 

 ficult to pulverize and to keep in good tilth. 

 Notwithstanding all the greater labor and more 

 manure bestowed on these places, they are still 

 easily distinguishable when ploughed, wherever 

 seen, and exhibit a manifest difference in color, 

 33 well as inferiority in texture and in product. 



For the foregoing general remarks, and for 

 any errors therein, the reporter is solely responsi- 

 ble. In the following statements and details of 

 facts, and the opinions expressed thereupon, he 

 had the benefit of the careful and well weighed 

 information of Mr. W. B. Harrison, the proprie- 

 tor of the Upper Brandon estate, in answer to 

 particular inquiries made in fierson, and in free 

 conversation. The inquires were directed gene- 

 rally and more especially to the subjects indicat- 

 ed in the circular of the Board of Agriculture ; 

 and the answers of Mr. Harrison, in regard to 

 the Lower Brandon estate, were all concurred in 

 by his nephew, Mr. George Taylor, the admi- 

 nistrator of the estate, who resides there, and 

 the investigation was aided by his more particular 

 acquaintance with the minute details. 



"Where the answers or statements are general, 

 or not specially applied to any one locality, it will 

 be intended to suit the two estates in general. 

 When it is proper to distinguish between difl'er- 

 ent parts, the distinction will be made. The 

 statements will be arranged under separate and 

 appropriate heads ; but the consideration of some 

 subjects will necessardy be somewhat intermin- 

 gled with others; ; and therefore strict regard to 

 method and general arrangement will sometimes 

 be made to give way to convenience for description. 



After a long course of exhausting and general- 

 ly injudicious cultivation of the two Brandon 

 estates, during the minority of these proprietors, 

 the elder, George E. Harrison, whose lamented 

 death occurred in 1839, came of age, and took 

 charge of his share. Lower Brandon, in 1817, and 

 William B. Harrison two years later. Both these 

 gentlemen have been, from the outset, devoted, 

 judicious and enlightened farmers; and on few 

 estates, if any in Virginia, has there been more 

 of valuable and productive ijnprovement made, 

 accompanied by securing of good and increasing 

 annual profits. The untimely death of George 

 E. Harrison did not, as is usual in such cases, 

 put a stop to the then v\eH advanced pro- 

 gress of improvement on his estate. His pro- 

 perty was placed, and has since continued, under 

 the general supervision and controlling advice of 

 his younger brother ; and the same mind and 

 spirit, with equal zeal and energy, have since 



