1836] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



295 



a light soil ; in the central portions, the soil is clay- 

 ey, and the S. and S. E. extremities are marshy ; 

 such is the character of Hunofry Neck, between 

 the Wicomico River and Monie Creek, and the de- 

 scription will answer for the Manokin Neck; 

 though in this there does not appear to be the 

 same uniformity in the character of the clay, 

 which varies (rom a white and yellow stifl" clay, to 

 a black clayey loam, equally various in its degrees 

 of productiveness and in the kinds of crops which 

 it can be made profitably to yield. The upper 

 parts of this neck are covered with magnilTicent 

 oaks, sweet giuns, maples and beech ; the lower 

 portions support a growth of lolly pines, with an 

 undergrowth of holly and sweet gimi, and verg- 

 ing upon the marshes, that extend across the neck 

 from the Wicomico to the Manokin, the pines are 

 small, probably a new growth. The soil of the 

 lands that terminate the neck — Big and Little 

 Deele's Islands — on the north-west side, is a 

 sandy loam, very productive in corn and sweet po- 

 tatoes. 



The aspect of the country between the Mano- 

 kin and Annemessex, presents us with the usual 

 almost dead level of cla3'ey soil, covered partly 

 with oaks, sweet gum, maple, &c. the pine pre- 

 dominating towards the lower end, and on ap- 

 proaching the marshes, the timber having been 

 in a great measure destroyed, there remains but a 

 scanty growth of small pines. The extensive 

 marshes, called the Jericho marshes, form the ex- 

 treme end of the necks, on the borders, and in the 

 midst of which, are some few inhabited spots, 

 more remarkable for their great salubrity, than, as 

 might perhaps have been supposed, for the drea- 

 riness of their situations. To become convinced 

 that health and comfort are sometimes found 

 where they are very little expected, it is only ne- 

 cessary to pay a visit to the hospitable residence 

 of Capt. Davy, at the head of the salt marshes of 

 Jericho. 



Annemessex Neck, whose soil and appearance 

 would require the same description as that alrea- 

 dy given of similar portions of the country, is thick- 

 ly settled towards the lower end, by a hardy popu- 

 lation of boat-builders and boatmen ; the latter 

 supporting themselves principally by the sale of 

 oysters, clams, and terrapins. These men may 

 be instanced as further evidences of the healthi- 

 ness of the marshy districts of country upon salt 

 water. Whatever may be the influence of these 

 marshes at a distance, judging from the appear- 

 ance alone of those who inhabit them, or con- 

 stantly frequent them, they are not the seats of 

 disease; for it would be difficult, in any other sec- 

 tion our country, to find a more hardy and robust 

 set of men, than the residents on the Little Anne- 

 messex ; and yet it is not to all that the praise of 

 unexceptionable habits can be extended. 



From the head of Little Annemessex, the eye 

 looks over the broad expanse of salt marshes, 

 reaching to the southern limits of our state — Wat- 

 kin's Point being lost somewhere among them. 

 Bounding these marshes to the north, there is a 

 well wooded country, vyith a good soil and hiijhly 

 iniprovable, extending to the Pocomoke Bay and 

 River, and comprising the district of Rehoboth. 

 Marumsco Neck, towards the latter district, is also 

 well wooded, the country level, and soil generally 

 clay loam, in some places at the head of creeks 

 more uneven and sand v. 



Such is the account, and it will, it is believed, be 

 found substantially correct, that may be given of 

 the lowest portions of Somerset county. It has 

 already been said, that the northern part of the 

 country is sandy. It is especially so between Bar- 

 ren creek, and Salisbury ; but from Barren creek, 

 in the direction of Quantico, to Whitehaven, the 

 soil passes from a sandy loam to the stiff clay 

 bottoms, described as forming the principal soil of 

 the necks. Along the Wicomico river, on either 

 side, the soil is mostly sandy. On the eastern 

 side of this river, and reachuig from it towards the 

 south, the soil varies from sandy, sandy loam to 

 clay loam ; and a northerly direction li'om Prin- 

 cess Anne to Salisbury leads successively over 

 clay, clayey loam, sandy loam, and through a 

 swampy district, to the sand ridges of the upper 

 portion of the county. 



The only mineral product of Somerset county 

 is bog-ore, of which there is an abundant deposite. 

 of excellent quality, at the head of Barren Creek. 

 It has been raised in considerable quantity, and 

 continues to be profitably extracted by Mr. Brat- 

 tan, who delivers it at Baltimore fbr $*3 the ton. 

 A large supply of this ore might be obtained from 

 this and other neighboring localities. It is also 

 foimd at the heads of Back and Dividing Creeks; 

 but samples examined from these places indicate 

 an inferior quality of ore. 



The mineral springs of Barren Creek deserve 

 more attention than they have lately received. 

 The waters have been analyzed, and were fi)und 

 to contain oxide of iron, soda, and magnesia, com- 

 bined with muriatic acid. They belong therefore, 

 to the class of alkaline chalybeates, are tonic and 

 diuretic, and ha\"e been found eminently servicea- 

 ble in bilious disorders. The well known curative 

 properties of the waters, the comfortable accom- 

 modations at the springs, with the obliging dispo- 

 sition of the proprietor, and of the tenant, Mr. 

 Levin L. Porter, ought to furnish strong induce- 

 ments to invalids of the Eastern Shore of Marj^- 

 land, to resort to them now, as they were wont to do 

 in former times. 



No fossil deposites, answering as marl, have 

 been found in Somerset county ; but a material al- 

 most as valuable occurs abundantly in various 

 places, consfituting those accumulations of oyster 

 shells, believed to have been made on the site of 

 ancient Indian settlements. The spots upon 

 which these shells bank were observed, are, on the 

 Nanticoke, at the mouth of Witipquin Creek, and 

 at the Sandflea Landing; on the Wicomico, at 

 Long Point, where there occurs one of the most 

 extensive banks of the kind known, the shells 

 therein, being deposited at the depth of from three 

 to nme feet, extending nearly a quarter of a mile 

 along the shore, and several hundred yards inland ; 

 on the Manokin, Maddox island and Fishing island 

 are covered by similar accumulations ; and on the 

 Pocomoke, another occurs at Shelltown, about two 

 miles above the mouth of the river. Banks of the 

 same kind are found in other places, but of a more 

 limited extent. 



The value of this material has already been 

 stated in a preceding report, but it cannot be too 

 strongly impressed upon the iiirmers of the lower 

 counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It 

 is the principal agr}cvltural resource which they 

 possess, by a proper application of which they may 

 ihv.bh the produce of their lands. In the upper 



