1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



237 



agemeht to all permanent and valuable improve- 

 ments — general and increasing discontent with 



their homes — and next the willingness?, and finally 

 the expectation, of following to the west the more 

 enterprising, or more greedy, who had gone before 

 them. The lonjj continued prevalence of such 

 opinions and habits are alone enough to ruin any 

 country: and the mere absence of this curse seems 

 enough to maintain the superior thrift and prosper- 

 ity of the county of Northampton. The opposite 

 conditions of the two communities may be com- 

 pared to the different operations of the institution 

 of marriage when indissoluble except by death, 

 and where the law offers and invites divorce at 

 will. In the former state, the parties arc compel- 

 led to make the best of their union, and in the lat- 

 ter they would as certainly make the worst of it. 



From what I could gather of the opinions of 

 farmers of this county, it was inferred that the 

 land was naturally, as it still appears, of middle 

 quality as to productiveness. I heard of no farm, 

 or even a field, which was supposed by its owner 

 as having in its best and original state, to have 

 produced more than 30 bushels of corn to the 

 acre — which is certainly a very moderate crop on 

 land peculiarly adapted to that grain. Probably in 

 some places near the creeks, there were spots of 

 much greater natural fertility: but all such could 

 not have amounted to any great extent. I saw no 

 land, other than the highly manured lots about 

 dwellings, which now would produce 30 bushels; 

 and not. much which by ils present growth promi- 

 sed more than 20 bushels of corn. Still I may 

 be deceived in this respect, not only for lack of 

 judgement, but because the grain may be greater 

 in proportion to the general bulk of the plants, 

 than on other soils. This is asserted of their oat 

 crops, which appeared to my eye generally mea- 

 gre, and very few spots were seen where the 

 growth was very luxuriant. Yet it is affirmed 

 that their ordinary round stacks will yield not much 

 short of 200 bushels — -tind if of wheat, and else- 

 where, they would hardly exceed 50 bushels. 



The land was formerly covered with a heavy 

 growth of excellent timber — oaks of different 

 kinds, hickory, &c. as well as of pine. But al- 

 most nothing is now left but pines, and those of 

 late growth, and of course very worthless both 

 for fuel and timber. This remaining cover of the 

 land not brought under cultivation, gives it an ap- 

 pearance of having possessed but little, fertility, as 

 we involuntarily associate an unmixed growth of 

 pines with the idea of worn out land, or a bad na- 

 tural soil. But though such growth is probably 

 found here on better soil than it would indicate 

 elsewhere, the general if not universal disposition 

 of this land to throw up pines is enough to prove 

 that it is no where calcareous, and that it is much 

 wanting in that essential quality of soil. On the 

 other hand, the rare occurrence of land naturally 

 very poor, and the general and remarkable dura- 

 bility of all, would seem to forbid the conclusion 

 that, much of the soil was of such acid quality 

 as lands favorable to pines generally possess. 

 There can however be no doubt but. that an addi- 

 tion of calcareous earth is every where wanting, 

 and on every field would give increased produc- 

 tiveness and value. Very little use has been yet 

 made of this all-important means for improvement. 

 There are no beds of fossil shells, or rather they 

 here dip too deep to be reached by any digging 



yet tried — and some, few wells have been sunk to 

 the depth of 40 feet. These beds disappear on 

 the Eastern Shore of Maryland, by sinking grad- 

 ually as we approach the south, (as stated in Dr. 

 Ducatel's geological report,) and it, may be sup- 

 posed that they underlie the counties of Accomac 

 and Northampton, though at a still increasing 

 depth. But though thus deprived of easy access 

 to this the most cheap and valuable, form of calca 

 reous manure, the quantity of shell fish would fur- 

 nish lime in abundance — and there are many oys- 

 ter shoals, naked at low tide, where immense quan- 

 tities of shelly matter might be cheaply obtained. 

 This if crushed would be better than if burned, as 

 there is much putrescent, matter which is destroy- 

 ed by fire. The little use which has been made 

 of quicklime (not extending beyond a iew experi- 

 ments) has not produced results which encouraged 

 the repetition — and hence has arisen the opinion 

 that prevails unfavorable to the application of cal- 

 careous matter in general. My observations did 

 not reach farther north than about the middle of 

 the county — but I heard that some gentlemen 

 nearer to Accomac still persevered in using lime. 

 It is not at all surprising that quick or caustic lime 

 should be even hurtful to these lands, however 

 much they may need mild calcareous earth. From 

 the dry and sandy nature of the, soil, and the con- 

 tinued tillage to which it is subjected, there can 

 never long remain any inert or insoluble vegetable 

 matter: and on all the vegetable matter in the soil, 

 fit to feed plants, or rapidly becoming so, the caus- 

 tic and burning action of quicklime is decidedly 

 injurious, by decomposing and dissipating such 

 matters. Thus the early destructive power of the 

 lime, applied in its quick state, has here apparently 

 overbalanced the more slow and permanent bene- 

 fits which it afterwards produces as mild calca- 

 reous earth. This is one. of the numerous cases 

 in which a want of the. knowledge of the mode, of 

 operation, causes even facts to lead to falseconclu- 

 sions, instead of teaching truth, as they would do, 

 if properly understood. It is of great importance 

 to this country that a proper estimate should be 

 made of the value of calcareous and marine ali- 

 mentary manures, as there are great facilities for 

 obtaining both, as well as great need of them on 

 most of the soils. 



Next to corn and oats the castor bean, and sweet 

 potatoes arc the most important articles of culture 

 in Northampton. There are seven oil presses in 

 and near the little village of Eastville, and per- 

 haps more than twice as many in the whole 

 county. New ones are now erecting. One is to be 

 worked by steam, for, which the machinery is pro- 

 vided, and the necessary fixtures are now con- 

 structing. This seems a singular, and I fear will 

 prove an unprofitable application of steam power. 

 The oil cake, or "bean pomace" as it is called, is 

 highly valuable as a rich and sure manure. It 

 sells readily at 25 cents the bushel at the oil fac- 

 tories. Its" effects are very great, as may be in- 

 ferred from the price, but they seldom last beyond 

 one crop, unless heavily and wastefully applied. 



There is much difference of opinion as to the 

 value of castor bean as a crop, and its effects on 

 the soil, even among those who have most expe- 

 rience of this new kind of culture. One practical 

 and judicious firmer, who is considered very suc- 

 cessful in bis business, and who had formerly ob- 

 tained unusually heavy products of castor bean, 



