1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



733 



ol" lilla<Te; and the ten-foo; ditches are the largest 

 and ultimate receivers which pass through the 

 fields, and the filteen-lbol canal without, into which 

 all the water is discharged, and thence into Scup- 

 pernong river. The main canal also serves lor 

 navigation for delivering the crops. Indeed, as 

 every such main canal must connect with a navi- 

 gable river, there must he the means ol' intercourse 

 by navigation between every two properly drained 

 farms in this part ol' the country. 



The soil and subsoil, though, as stated above, 

 apparently oC swamp Ibrmation, have no resem- 

 blance to any of I he drained swamp near the lake. 

 The " body land" in its forest state, has no cy- 

 press or other aquatic trees, but has a consid- 

 erable proportion of large oaks, intermixed with 

 poplars, sweet-gum, beech, and other trees usually 

 found on rich and low or alluvial, but yet firm and 

 usually dry lands. Nalure and time seem to have 

 produced here such a change as may be supposed 

 would lake place in the great swamp, by its being 

 relieved Irom superabundant water for the duration 

 oCsome thousands ofyears. The upper soil being 

 principally of vegetable material, would, in the 

 course of time, rot down to a state ol' finely de- 

 composed parts, and close texture ; while the for- 

 mer ibrest of cypresses would die and give place 

 to trees preferring dryer soil. Such seems to be 

 just the natural state of the Belgrade land, and I 

 presume it was that of the great " body" nf which 

 it forms a part. And for just such a change of 

 natural circumstances to be made, it is onl}' neces- 

 sary to suppose that Scuppernong river, the pre- 

 sent great outlet, was (brmerly so obstructed that 

 the level of the back water was kept several feet 

 higlier than its present elevation. 



The ditching of Mr. Pettigrew has been exe- 

 cuted in the best manner, and his labors of culti- 

 vation seem to be scarcely inlerior. The soil, 

 though so stiff as to be best suited lor wheat, yet 

 will bring as heavy average crops of corn as any 

 known in this country. I saw a field of 40 acres, 

 fi-om which had been measured a crop of 10 bar- 

 rels average to the acre, and part of which proba- 

 bly brought 11 or 12 barrels, as another pari fell 

 much below the general average. 



The supposed ancient change of this land, from 

 its still more ancient condition of a swamp satu- 

 rated or overflowed by water, is my own hasty 

 speculation, and which I should not leave it to be 

 inferred that Mr. Pettigrew is responsible for. 

 But some interesting facts, of which he informed 

 me, go for to sustain the su[)po5ition. In his now 

 cultivated fields there were several shallow ponds, 

 varying from half an acre to two acres in extent. 

 After these places had been laid dry by ditches, 

 and brought under cultivation, by diirging into the 

 soil, charcoal and ashes vvere found, showing con- 

 clusively that these depressions had been made by 

 the burning of the earth to that depth, such as oc- 

 curs to some extent in the great swamp, and espe- 

 cially the savannas, in every very dry season. 



Next, as to the extent of operation of such ac- 

 tion at! might have lowered or consumed the sur- 

 face and consolidated the soil of a swamp when 

 relieved of its former overflowing water. Mr. 

 Pettigrew told me that in the years 1805 and 6, 

 the longest and greatest season of drought which 

 he has had experience or report of, the great 

 swamp was dry for 18 months together, and the 

 water of the lake sunk 4 feet below its highest 



mark of a full head. During this long time, fires 

 \vere continually raging in some parts of the 

 swamp, and even passed over the same parts more 

 than once in the time, as the state of dryness in- 

 creased, and the combustiljle material was thereby- 

 deepened. In a particular pari of the land adjoin- 

 ing Mr. Collins' canal, which was before described 

 as being now covered vvnh laurel trees, Mr. Petti- 

 grew knew that the soil continued slowly burning 

 lor 12 months together. When at last tlie raina 

 again saturated the swamp, and the superabun- 

 dant water flowed thence into the lake, the water 

 of the lake was at first so deeply colored as to stain 

 cloth that was washed in it, and it was feared that 

 its previous quality was lost forever. But this 

 condition was merely transient; and it was not long 

 before the water was restored to the state of purity 

 which it had before, and has since retained. 



And now I have to bid farewell to the swamps. 

 And if I may venture to imitate the manner used 

 by old Fuller in his different " farewells" to the 

 counties of England, after discoursing of their 

 "worthies" and their peculiarities, my larewell 

 woidd be of this fashion : 



May the proprietors of the great swamp region, 

 who are poor, copy the untiring industry and 

 "indomitable perseverance" (to use his neighbor's 

 words,) of the older of the two lake-side proprie- 

 tors; and may the rich copy the liberal and judi- 

 cious expenditures, and the enterprise of the 

 younger; and may all profit by the intelligence 

 and luresight. and enjoy the success, of both of 

 ihem. May the swamp waters be diverted fro.ia 

 their present operation of drowning land, and des- 

 tioymg lertilily, health, and life, to the conveying 

 the richest and most abundant of new products to 

 good markels ; may the soil be changed from be- 

 ing the poisoner of thousands, to be the feeder of 

 niillions. May the people of the good common- 

 wealth of North Carolina acquire and maintain the 

 energy requisite for these and other great works to 

 make usel'ul the now obstructed and dormant bu8 

 mighty resources of the state ; and may their go- 

 vernment possess the wisdom and sound discretion 

 which may safely ilirect the good work. 



LEGISLATIVE AID TO AGRICULTURE, 



Extract from Gov. Noble's Message to the Legislature of Souiij: 

 Carolina. 



In giving you " information of the condition of" 

 the state." I should feel that I wasjustly obnoxious 

 to the charge of neglecting one of the most impor- 

 tant branches of industry, were I to be silent on 

 the subject of agriculture. This pursuit of the 

 great mass of the people has claims upon your 

 fostering care and attention. It is the source of 

 our wealth and power, and furnishes the means 

 of our commercial exchanges. Yet its importance 

 seems never to have been realized by the consti- 

 tuted authorities of the state ; for it is a lamentable 

 truth, that while other branches of industry have 

 received an impulse by wholesome laws, the great 

 interests of agriculture have been passed by, almost 

 with silent contempt. It is now time lor the state 

 to dismiss from her counsels this cold indiflerence, 

 and to take such action on the subject as will 

 promote its success. In exploring the causes 

 which have retarded the progress of the state in 



