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F ARME RS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



intrton Ditch". But whether their plans were judi- 

 cious, or had the defects inherent in such joint stock 

 companies, their lahor and capital yielded little 

 profit. The war soon Ibllowed, and before its end 

 halt" their slaves went ofi to the enemy, as was 

 generally the case in places so near their encamp- 

 ments. After peace was made, the work slili 

 went on badly, until the Company undertook the 

 getting of jiinipershingles. This business, which 

 was not at first counted on, has since become their 

 eole pursuit, and immensely piofitable, and must 

 continue profitable until the timber is mostly con- 

 sumed, which indeed is rapiilly approaching com- 

 pletion. The shares into which the stock wasoriif- 

 inally divided, have increased in price from iftSOOO 

 each to more than -915,000 ; and the dividends 

 made are large even for the highest price. But 

 unlike most other stocks, this is diminishing in re- 

 al value, with every year's waste of timber — and 

 unless the land itself is made of value by drainage, 

 the stock of this rich company will, at some fu- 

 ture time, lose its market value, as rapidly, and to 

 many owners as unexpectedly, as it was former- 

 ly acquired. 



What I have stated of the Land Company, 

 ■was learned from gentlemen who have been long 

 and well acquainted with the general afl;'airs of' 

 the company: but as theirknowledse was not official, 

 and rested on memory, facts may have been in- 

 correctly stated as to dates, amounts, or other 

 minor circumstances. 



It had long been my intention to visit these 

 scenes — but it was only very lately that a first and 

 hasty visit was made, which has enabled me to 

 judge of and to describe them, so far as will here 

 appear. 



On Nov, 17fh. I reached Suffolk by way of the 

 railway, from Portsmouth, which passes through 

 a few miles of the swamp at its northern extremi- 

 ty, and thus permitted a first slight glance. It 

 eeems unfortunate that the first approach to the 

 swamp, of almost every person hereafter , will be 

 on the rapidly moving railway train. The sav- 

 age gloom of the face of nature is altogether un- 

 suited to the highly artificial facilities by means of 

 which the traveller is flying past — and the discor- 

 dance serves to lessen the high gratification 

 which either the conveyance or the scene alone 

 would cause, when new to the observer. 



It was too late on that day to commence a 

 voyage to the lake— nor could it be made on the 

 next: for though every thinff else necessary had 

 been carefully provided, there were no good boat- 

 men out of the swamp — and vvithout those accus- 

 tomed to the peculiar mode of navigating the ca- 

 nal, there was no getting on. The leisure afl^ord- 

 ed by these disappointments permitted me to visit 

 Bome of the most interesting lands in the neigh- 

 borhood — and to see some improvements on 

 Bwamp lands, to which my remarks will now be 

 confined. Having mounted on horseback, we re- 

 turned, by a different route, to the swamp where 

 it is crossed by the railway. Tliis great public im- 

 provement had effected much of the first and 

 heaviest labor necessary for draining the adjacent 

 Bwamp lands, and had clearly indicated the pro- 

 per mode to pursue — and the proprietor on one 

 Bide, Mr. David .Jordan, was makinj; proper use 

 of the opportunities thus offered. The swamp 

 Jand here js 6 to 7 feet higher than the part of 

 Suffolk which the railway passes overj and the 



ditches dug on each side, to drain and to raise the 

 track of the road, furnish deep and wide discharg- 

 ing outlets, to receive the waters from all smaller 

 ones draining from the swamp. This land had 

 been filled or covered with water before the rail- 

 way was begun: tlie ditches dug by Mr. Jordon, 

 at right angles to the road, and eniptjing as above 

 stated, have laid the land dry, and kept the wa- 

 ter as much below the surface as the depth of his 

 ditches, which is from 2 to 2^ feet. Still this is 

 not enough for so sponiry a soil, which will draw 

 much moisture upward, and from considerable 

 depths. I advised giving 10 or 12 inches more of 

 depth to the smaller dhches, and still more to the 

 large rail road ditch, which can be easily done. 

 The water comes from the general overflowing or 

 saturation of the swamp, and therefore a good 

 large ditch ought to surround the whole piece de- 

 signed to be reclaimed. 



This tract of land was bought by Mr. Jordan 

 and Mr. Benton, after the railway was made, at 

 .^7.50 the acre. Immediately adjoining, and also 

 on the road, another body of land of 2000 acres 

 had b?en bought before the road was commenced, 

 for only ^900 — a most striking evidence of value 

 thus increased. All the wood is now made mar- 

 ketable, and is cut to a great profit, and sent by 

 the train to Portsmouth. It is cut (by the job) 

 into 4 feet lencihs, at 50 cents the cord — carted 

 and corded along side the road for 25 cents more — 

 (and this expense might be lessened one-halfj by 

 making branch wooden railways — ) and the wood 

 is sold at ^1.25 in that situation, and now com- 

 mands ^4 if delivered in Porsmouth. As but lit- 

 tle superintendence is required, the profit from an 

 acre must be very considerable. 



The swamp soil next the railway was from IJ 

 to 2 feel thick, resting on a good dark colored clay. 

 The soil did not appear to vary materially in tex- 

 ture, as seen in the new ditches several hundred 

 yards towards the interior. It is of the more firm 

 and earthy kind, known as "gum swamp," but 

 which seems to be composed in great measure 

 of vegetable matter. It appears precisely like 

 the soil of the gum and ash tide swamps on 

 James River. Farther fr-om the rail road, the 

 ditch reached land which formerly had been burnt 

 over, so as to destroy its trees, and it was now 

 covered by the closest possible growth of reeds, 

 among which were scattered many young pines. 

 The soil did not seem to change, otherwise than 

 by becoming deeper. The subsoil here is a stiff 

 yellowish clay. 



Early on the morning of Nov. 19, our party as- 

 sembled at the northern end of the Land Compa- 

 ny's Canal, about a mile from Suffolk. To this 

 point all their shingles are brought by boats — and 

 passed over to the tide creek close by, and which 

 is about 20 feet lower in level, where they are re- 

 ceived by vessels which carry them to the north- 

 ern cities. Our party was mostly composed of 

 gentlemen of Suffolk, who most kindly aided all 

 my views and wishes. The boat was flat bottom- 

 ed, long and spacious, belonging the Land Compa- 

 ny, and designed solely for convening passengers 

 in trips to the lake, for pleasure or business. It 

 was well suited for the purpose, and was well 

 manned and provided for this occasion. The mode 

 of propelling the boat is the saiTie as is always 

 used lor the shingle boats. A strong pole is fas- 

 tened across the square head, and another in like 



