1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



525 



lands, where under corn every 3'^ear, field peas are 

 also raised in every intermediate row. Of these 

 but part are o;;i'hered for seed, sale, or home con- 

 suininioii, and the hogs are turned in to eat the 

 balance, as soon as the corn is fit to be gathered. 

 This mixture of the pea crop is general, and in 

 some measure mitigates the severity of both the 

 Iwo-shifi and ona-shiit rotations. But this kind of 

 cultivation is hj' no means confined to this county. 

 It lias been very general through lower Virginia, 

 and is still to be found in nearly all the lower coun- 

 ties. Nor is the improvement of soil less ii-cquenl 

 in Nansemond than in some other of these coun- 

 ties — it is only the more remarkable and condem- 

 nable there, because the marl and other manures 

 in that county offer such abundant means for im- 

 proving the soil and increasing the products. In 

 travelling on the railway, from Portsmouth to 

 Roanoke, I saw not an acre of the numerous and 

 extensive cornfields that seemed to have produced 

 more than 15 bushels — and much the greater 

 part would not have averaged more than 10 bush- 

 els. It is true, that the manured spots and best 

 grounds were generally in cotton — but even of 

 these, very few fields, if any, would have brought 

 20 bushels of corn to the acre. I do not estimate 

 the cost of tillage (at least in Virginia,) half as 

 high as does the editor of the Cultivator, who has 

 stated that 30 bushels of corn per acre is the 

 smallest crop that will give any profit to the fir- 

 mer :■ but nevertheless, I think "that notjiaif of all 

 the fields seen on this route can leave any clear 

 profit on the cultivation. 



In Nansemond River are caught immense quan- 

 tities of fine oysters — and the Indian banks of 

 shells all along the river, furnish testimony that 

 the river has lor ages yielded, in abundance this 

 valuable product. On every elevated point on 

 the river, and indeed generally along its banks on 

 J)o»h sides, are found spread the prodigious depo- 

 sites of decaj'ed oyster shells which give the high 

 and well deserved reputation to these lands for fer- 

 tility, and durability of productiveness under long 

 continued grain tillage of the most scourging 

 kind. I could not learn any certain tacts as to the 

 "exact length of time during which Any particular 

 shelly field had been kept in corn, without rest or 

 manure, and what was its rate of productiveness 

 after such hard treatment. But I found existing 

 a general belief that but few of such lands had 

 escaped 20 or more j'ears of such continued crop- 

 ping — and on some, the cultivation for 200 j'ears 

 has been never lighter than the two-shift rotation 

 above mentioned, with no more manure than the 

 proprietor could scarcely help making. After all 

 Buch treatment, these lands, however greatly re- 

 duced from their first exuberant fertility, were 

 still what was deemed good and productive soil — 

 and yielding crops that would have given the cha- 

 racter of rich to any land producing such, in the 

 south-eastern counties, away from tidewater. 



Having no leisure for more extended observa- 

 tions, I visited only Stockley, the farm and resi- 

 dence of Wills Cowper, Esq. which was the site 

 of the principal town of the Nansemond tribe of 

 Indians, and of whose separate huts, the ground 

 Btill affords testimony of the localities, in the 

 greater abundance of the shells, swelling above 

 the general level at each spot where the surfice 

 had not been moved, otherwise than by ordinary 

 tillage. Just opposite in the river is Duplin 



(now called Dumplin) Island, the fo.f-mer resi- 

 dence of the kings of the Nansemond tribe of 

 Indians. This island contains about 14 acres of 

 high lands, and a considerable body of marsh.* 



* This island, and the western shore, on which 

 stood the Indian town, and the abundant product of the 

 large corn fields thereon, are mentioned in tiie following 

 passage in Smith's History of Virginia. The incidents 

 occurred in Sept. 1608, during Captain Smith's second 

 cxpt'dition of discovery of the v/aters of Chesapeake 

 Bay — in which adventure he was accompanied by 12 

 m. n only. See Trve Travels, Adventures, &,c. ch. vi. 



" In a fayre calme, rowing towards Poynt Comfort, 

 we anchored in GosnoUs Bay, but such a suddaine 

 gust surprised vs in the night with thunder and rayne, 

 that we never thouglit more to hane seene lames 

 Towne. Yet running before the wind, we sometimes 

 saw the land by tlie flashes of fire from heaven, by 

 which' light onely we kept from the splitting shore, 

 vntil it pleased God in that blacke darknesse to pre- 

 serae vs by that light to finde Poynt Comfort: there 

 refreshing onrselues, because we had onely but 

 heard ot the Chisapeacks' and Nandsimunds, we 

 thought it as fit to know all our neighbours neare 

 home, as so many nations abroad. 



So setting sayle for the soulherne shore, we sayled 

 vp a narrow riuer vp the country of Chisapeack ;* it 

 hath a good channell, but many shouh^s about the en- 

 trance. By that we had sayled six or seaven myles, 

 vi^e saw two or three little garden plots witli their 

 houses, the shores overgrown with the greatest pyne 

 and firre trees we ever saw in the country. But not 

 seeing nor bearing any people, and the riuer very nar- 

 row, we returned to the great riuer, to see if we could 

 finde any of them. Coasting the shore towards Kand- 

 samund, which is most oyster-banks ; at the mouth of 

 that riuer, we espied six or seauen salvages making 

 their wires, who prosenfly fled : ashore we went, and 

 where they wrought we threw diuers toj' es, and so de- 

 parted. Farre we were not gone ere they came againe, 

 and began to sing, and daunce, and recafl vs : and thus 

 we began our first acquaintance. At last one of them 

 desired vs to goe to his house vp that riuer ; into our 

 boat voluntarily he came, the rest ran after vs by the 

 shore with all shew of loue that cOuld be. Seauen or 

 eight myles we sayled vp this narrow riuer : at last on 

 the westerne shore we saw large cornfields, in the 

 midst a little isle, and in it was abundance of corne ; 

 the people he fold vs were all a hunting, but in the isle 

 was his house, to which he inuited vs with muchdcind- 

 nesse : to him, his wife, and children, we gaue such 

 things as they seeme much contented them. The 

 others being come, desired vs also to goe but a little 

 higher to see their houses : here our host left vs, the 

 rest rowed by vs in a canow, till we were so far past 

 the isle the riuer became very narrow. Here we de- 

 sired some of them to come aboro vs, whereat pausing 

 a little, they told vs they would but fetch their bowes 

 and arrowes and goe all with vs, but being a shore and 

 thus armed, they perswaded vs to goe forward, but we 

 could neither perswade them into their canow nor into 

 our boat. This gaue vs cause to prouide for the worst. 

 Farre we went not ere seauen or eight canowes full 

 of men armed appeared following vs, staying to see the 

 conclusion. Presently from each side the riuer came 

 arrowes so fast as two or taree hundred could shoot 

 them, whereat we returned to get the open. They in 

 the canowes let fly also as fast, but amongst them we 

 bestowed so many shot, the most of them leaped over- 

 board and swam ashore, but two or three escaped by 

 rowing, being against their playnes : our muskets 

 they found shot further than their bowes, for wee made 

 not twenty shot ere they all retyrea behind the next 

 trees. Being thus got out of their trap, we seised on 



* Now Elizabeth River. — Ed. 



