A CAVE. NEWMARKET. THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. 103 



RUFFNKR'S CAVE, IN PAGE COUNTY. 



Martin, in his account of Western Virginia, has given a very interesting de- 

 scription of "the wonders of Cave-Hill," among other "curiosities" — closing 

 with a ronnantic one of the interior apartments of Ruff nej-^s Cave — situate about 

 a mile from the road leading from Thornton's Gap to Newmarket, and said to be 

 little inferior in extent and beauty to the celebrated "Weir's Cave," of which you 

 gave, if I mistake not, a diagram and description, in your old American Farmer, 

 some 28 years since. As you would not like to yield room for the glowing 

 description given by one of the party of original explorers of this remarkable 

 cavern, I will only trouble your readers with the following account of its first 

 discovery : 



" A Mr. Ruffner, who was nearly as much celebrated for deeds of sylvan prowess as the 

 renowned Putnam, in passing this Cave, some thirty years ago, conceived the bold and haz- 

 ardous design of entering it alone. He accordingly prepared himself a flambeau of pine, and 

 placed his ritie across the mouth, to indicate, in case of accident, to his friends, if they should 

 happen to see it, that he was in the Cave. He descended, but soon fell and put out his light 

 — and, as might have been expected, was soon bewildered and lost in its labyrinth of pass- 

 ages. It happened that some of his friends in passing the Cave discovered his gun, and 

 rightly concluding that he had gone into it, they procured lights, entered in search of him, 

 found and brought him out, after his having been there forty -eight hours. Tliis brave fellow 

 was among the pioneers who were foremost in exploiing and settling our waslcru frontier ; 

 and was at last killed by the Indians, after having performed deeds of valor and daiing 

 prowess which would have done honor to the chai-acter of a hero." 



DESCRIPTION OF NEWMARKET— ITS ANTI-SHADE TREES LAW. 



Leaving Luray after breakfast, some 14 miles bring you to Newmarket ; and 

 as it has been set down in the common parlance of Gazetteers as " beautifully 

 situated," and as, furthermore, its resources and destiny are committed to the 

 corporate management of the Fathers of the City, I must describe it as I found 

 it, if only to record one thing in their municipal polity which, with your love of 

 trees, you will agree almost deserves corporeal punishment. Know, then, that 

 Newmarket stands in the center of a valley where the rays of the sun concen- 

 trate between the mountains. The whole town consists of two parallel rows of 

 wooden houses, with few exceptions two stories high — extending for a quarter 

 of a mile on each side of a dusty turnpike. Well ! the first impulse on being 

 set down at the City Tavern in the noontide sun m dog-days is to inquire. Where 

 in the name of comfort are your shade-trees ? for not one is to be seen to relieve 

 the glare of the sun's reflection from the houses and the broad Macadamized 

 road — whereupon the plea of justilication put in is that the wise Aldermen have 

 strictly forbidden, in Newmarket, any man's performance of one of the three du- 

 ties which it is appointed unto every man, as it is said, to perform in his life- 

 time — for here the planting of trees is interdicted by law — and for fear of 

 what, does the reader suppose? Why for fear, in case of fire, that the trees 

 might catch and spread the flame I 



It were almost a pity but the wise framers of this prohibitory statute against 

 trees could be prohibited themselves from all attempts to perform one of the 

 other three cardmal duties of man, until this barbarous law should be repealed. — 

 But to 



THE AGRICULTURE OF THE VALLEY OF THE SHENANDOAH— ESPECLU.LY THE 

 LIMESTONE PORTION OF IT. 



You may get a general idea of the scope of my inquiries into the agricultural 

 resources, habits and productiveness of this famous Valley of the Shenandoah by 

 the following Answers, with which I was promptly favored by one of its most 

 distinguished citizens. The answers are made, as he informs me, by a scientific 

 and practical farmer, who would be admitted as high and competent authority 

 could 1 feel at liberty to give his name : — other among the most intelligent citi- 

 zens in Winchester and the vicinity authorize a general approval of the state- 

 ment: 



Ist. "At what price, generally, could the farmer of your County bum or purchase Lime 

 — I mean the unslaked, one of which makes two slaked?" 

 AnsiTi-r. About 1'*^ cents per bu.-he!. 



2d. " Is it much used as a fertilizer, oa hrae or free stone land, and with what effect?" 

 1247) 



