132 



New Settlers in Eastern Virginia. 



Vol. XII. 



tuations for res dences. The river is navi- 

 gable for the la gest ships and a full mile in 

 width, abounding in fine fish, which can be 

 taken all the year; and in winter, wild 

 geese, ducks, &c., are there in great num- 

 bers — in the forests, deer, wild turkies, and 

 partriges, are very plenty. Steamboats pass 

 daily up and down the river between Rich- 

 mond and Petersburg and Norfolk and Old 

 Point, where they connect with the boats to 

 Baltimore and the north — stopping at Sandy 

 Point for passengers or produce. A person 

 can leave this place about noon, and be in 

 Richmond, Petersburg, Norfclk, or Old Point 

 the same afternoon, or in Baltimore by sun- 

 rise the next morning, and in Philadelphia 

 five or six hours later. The winters are so 

 short and so mild, that cattle and sheep need 

 very little fodder, the grass being scarcely 

 checked in its growth ; and ploughing may 

 go on the whole year almost without any 

 interruption. Harvest comes, and fruits ripen 

 nearly a month earlier than in the vicinity 

 of Philadelphia. Peaches and other fruits 

 and vegetables may be sent to Philadelphia 

 and New York a whole month before they 

 are ready in the vicinity of those cities. The 

 markets for grain, are as good there as any 

 where in the northern States. 



About 27,000 acres are cultivated, — all 

 having been limed, and enormous crops of 

 clover being turned under with every plough- 

 ing for a crop, — it is all in a very high con- 

 dition. The wheat field the present year 

 contained 910 acres ; the crop was e.xcellent, 

 though much damaged by a remarkably late 

 frost, and by cold and wet weather while in 

 bloom. A very recent letter from the pro- 

 prietor says, "Thus far we have measured 

 1.3.500 bushels, and I do not despair of get- 

 ting 20 bushels per acre." Me is extremely 

 modest in his estimates, and from the best 

 information I could get while there, it will 

 considerably exceed that quantity, and equal 

 at least 20,000 bushels. 545 acres are in 

 corn, which is estimated to average 30 bush- 

 els per acre. All the other land is in clover 

 of most luxuriant growth, to be ploughed in 

 as a dressing for wheat— a very small por- 

 tion being cut for the stock. The whole is 

 most judiciously divided by roads, which are 

 skilfully and nicely graded and kept in the 

 most perfect order. The buildings are nu- 

 merous and excellent, and well distributed: 

 Large barns with stabling for the stock, are 

 located conveniently over the farm — the ar- 

 rangement of the stables is admirable, and 

 they are kept in the most perfect order — the 

 manure is constantly removed, and the floors 

 kept covered with gypsum, so that the am- 

 monia is immediately absorbed and preserved 

 in the very best way to be useful to the crops, 



and the manure is not su fleered to lie in the 

 yards, but is hauled out and spread over the 

 clover, which immediately covers it, and 

 appropriates all the nutriment. All of the 

 enormous quantities of straw, too, is spread 

 over the clover, which soon finds it way 

 through it, and by covering and keeping it 

 moist, it soon decomposes and assimilates 

 itself again with the soil, to aid in the pro- 

 duction of another crop of wheat. Near the 

 river bank, a short distance west of the man- 

 sion, is the spacious barn, with steam engine 

 to work a saw-mill for the use of the farm — 

 a mill for grinding corn-meal, — a mill for 

 grinding plaster, — and threshing machines, 

 which are capable of getting out and clean- 

 ing 1000 bushels of wheat or corn in a day. 

 This was at work while I was there, and 

 was one of the most gratifying exhibitions I 

 ever witnessed — its average day's work was 

 about 800 bushels, threshed and cleaned, and 

 put into the bins; but I was told that under 

 the most favourable circumstances, over 1000 

 bushels could be done. The immense field 

 of 910 acres was harvested and secured in 

 eight days, being put up in the field in large 

 shocks. A sufficient number of teams are 

 employed to bring it into the barn, and so 

 arranged that one is always unloading at the 

 door, and another ready to take its place as 

 soon as it is unloaded — thus keeping the ma- 

 chine employed. The threshers are on the 

 second floor, from which the wheat falls into 

 the fans on the floor below, after passing 

 through the fans it is taken by the elevators 

 to the third story, where it is made to pass 

 through screens, and then by machinery into 

 the bins, almost without any assistance from 

 manual labour — it is a beautiful operation, 

 and would alone repay a visit to Sandy 

 Point — the straw is also removed by ma- 

 chinery to a considerable distance, when it 

 is taken up by the women and boys, who are 

 each provided with a cord, with which they 

 enclose a bundle of such size as they find it 

 convenient to carry, and placing it upon 

 their heads, they mount an inclined plane, 

 and deposit it in immense oblong stacks, the 

 size of which would astonish most of our 

 northern farmers. This barn is surmounted 

 by a neat cupola, in which is a clock with 

 four large faces, which can be seen from 

 nearly all parts of the farm, and the bell 

 which strikes the hours regularly can be 

 heard much further. The vane above, in 

 excelle.it taste, is a finely formed gil led 

 plough. 



Over 4000 acres of this estate is in timber 

 of primitive growth, none ever having been 

 cut except for the use of the farm — compe- 

 tent judges estimate eighty cords to the 

 acre, if all were cut into cord wood ; but 



