FARMERS' REGISTER— DESCRIPTION OF VIRGINIA. 



line of improvement between James river and 

 Kenawha lias been managed exclusively by state 

 authority since 1820; but the last general assem- 

 bly (1831-2) incorporated a joint-stock company, 

 with a capilal of Sjji5,000,000 (the state takinp; two 

 fifths,) and gave it ample powers to establish a 

 more perfect communication, by continued canals 

 and rail-ways, between the waters of the James 

 and the Ohio. If the scheme should be successi'ul, 

 its influence upon the future destinies of the state 

 will be incalculable. But it would lengthen this 

 article too far to point out the many natural ad- 

 vantages of Virginia, and her many facilities for 

 developing them. It seems to be always the wise 

 economy of nature to leave something to be ef- 

 fected by the industry and enterprise of man. — 

 When these shall have developed, to their fidl ex- 

 tent, the resources of this state, it may be confi- 

 dently anticipated that she will rival the most 

 flourishing of her sisters in wealth and prosperity. 

 Agriculture, Manufactures, &c. Tlie agricul- 

 ture of this state is various, but, for the most part, 

 badly conducted. The old practice of clearing and 

 cultivating land every year vuitil exhausted, then 

 turning it out to recover from its own resources, 

 still continues in many places. In others, the three- 

 shift system ])r by ails; that is, 1. a crop of Indian 

 corn; 2. wheat, rye or oats; 3. theyear of res/, as 

 it is called, in which the spontaneous vegetation 

 furnishes a scanty subsistence to stock; after 

 which the soil is again subjected to the scourging 

 process of cropping, while little attention is paid 

 to the application of manures, or the culture of 

 artificial grasses. This destructive system, for the 

 most part, prevails from the sea-board to the head 

 of tide-water, and on the soutli side of James river 

 as far as the Blue ridge. On the north side of that 

 river, cultivation is better, particularly in the 

 counties approaching the Potomac. Rotations of 

 crops are attended to; grass-seeds, most commonly 

 red clover (trifnlium pratense') are sown on the 

 small grain ; and animal and vegetable manures 

 are saved Avith care, and judiciously applied. — 

 Gypsum is also used, and with powerful effect. In 

 the Valley district, agriculture is also well con- 

 ducted; and irrigated meadows are abundant and 

 productive. On both sides of the Blue ridge, 

 maize, or Indian corn, wheat, rye, oats and buck- 

 wheat are the principal grain crops. Tobacco is 

 extensively cultivated in Eastern Virginia, but 

 sparingly in the Valley, and that chiefly in its 

 southern portion. The grass-seeds common to 

 both regions are red clover (tr if olium pratense,') 

 orchard grass (daciylis glomerata,') timothy (^phlc- 

 um pratense') and herd-grass (jalopecurus praten- 

 sis,') the two former on dry, the latter on moist 

 soils. In the eastern and southern districts, cotton 

 is planted to some extent. On the shores of the 

 Chesapeake, barley and the castor oil bean (rici- 

 nvs communis) are cultivated ; and, on some of the 

 best lands above tide-water, hemp is raised to ad- 

 vantage. The trans-AUeghany country, being ex- 

 ceedingly mountainous and remote from market, 

 is chie'fly devoted to the raising of live stock. — 

 Very little more grain is raised thaii is necessary 

 to supply the country itself, and the travellers and 

 stock -drovers who pass through it. The climate 

 and soil being favorable, the pastures are excel- 

 lent. The greensward (^poa viridis) and white 

 clover (trifolvum repens) spring up spontaneously 

 Avhcrcver the limber is removed or deadened, and, 



on rich ground, are very luxuriant. Of the pro- 

 fits of agriculture in Virginia, it is difficult to 

 speak with precision. In very many instances, it 

 yields a bare subsistence to the cultivator; in 

 others, a net income of two or three jjer cent. — 

 But, where the land is in good heart, the conver- 

 tible husbandry practised, and wheat and tobacco 

 are the chief products, there is no doubt that, with 

 slave labor, a profit of from six to eight per cent, 

 may be annually derived from the capital invested. 

 For this result, however, great activity and at- 

 tention are necessary on the part of the owner. — 

 Lands in the Valley, v/here there are compara- 

 tively few slaves, sell higher than on the eastern 

 side of the Blue ridge ; and the general appearance 

 of the country is more prosperous, although the 

 soil is, for the most part, inferior ; the climate de- 

 cidedly so; running streams less frequent; and 

 communication with markets more diificult and 

 expensive. In 1831, according to official returns, 

 44,529 hogsheads of tobacco were delivered from 

 the several warehouses in the state for export and 

 manufacture; and, during the year which ended 

 in June, 1832, upwards of 544,000 barrels of flour 

 passed tlie various inspections. The quantity of 

 ilour inspected is, however, a very uncertain index 

 to the total product. Some of the Virginia flour, 

 and especially the Richmond brand, has acquired 

 great celebrity in South America and elsewhere. 

 Most of the vegetable productions found in the 

 Middle and some of the Southern States are com- 

 mon also to Virginia. West of the Alleghany, 

 the sugar maple grovt's in abundance. There are 

 some excellent native grapes, the culture of which 

 will claim greater attention, since the winters have 

 been found too severe for the foreign vine. Few 

 countries possess greater facilities for manufactur- 

 ing ; the raw material of almost every khid, labor 

 sutficientlj' cheap and abundant, inexhaustible sup- 

 plies of fuel, and water power without limit. Yet, 

 with all these advantages, planting and farming 

 will long be the favorite pursuits. In the northern 

 and north-western parts of the state, and in some 

 of the principal towns, valuable manufactories are 

 established of cotton and Avoollen cloths, glass, iron, 

 &c. The Kenawha salt-works produce annually 

 about 1,000,000 bushels, and those of the Holston 

 about 100,000. 



Climate. In a country of such great extent, 

 and of so uneven a surface, there is, of course, 

 great diversity of climate. It is believed that few 

 meteorological observations have been made, either 

 at public seminaries or by private citizens. The 

 diary of an intelligent gentleman at Richmond ex- 

 hibits the following table of mean temperature for 

 the years stated. His later observations are in- 

 complete. 



Average Tem- 

 perature in Morning. Noon. Night. 



1824, ----- 49 5-6 65 55 



1825, ----- 48J 64§ 54§ 



1826, ----- 48i 65 54 



1827, ----- 50 1-6 65 55 



This table exhibits a striking approximation in 

 the results of each year. The monthly calcu- 

 lations upon which it is founded, if compared with 

 five years observations made by Mr. Jefferson at 

 Williamsburg, from 1772 to 1777, will authorize 

 the conclusion that the climate of lower Virginia 

 has undergone a considerable change in the last 



