FARMERS' REGISTER— BRITISH FARMING CAPITAL. 



671 



nayig:ation, the stock of the present Appomattox 

 company, would, necessarily, liaveto l)e purcliasctl 

 by the new company, by giving tliem a certain 

 amount of stock, bearing- a certain and specified 

 interest. 



The original cost of the present stock of the 

 company, was ©61,000, and this is something like 

 as mucli as the present market value of it ; but it 

 is intrinsically worth considerably more. Sup- 

 posing, then, this stock be worth one-third more, 

 say igi82,000, bearing an interest of 6 per cent. 

 The fall in the river from Farmville to Peters- 

 burg, or to the canal, is ascertained, l)y actual 

 measurement, to be only about 150 feet ; to over- 

 come which, 25 dams and locks, of G feet lift, 

 would be necessary. I have obtained some calcu- 

 lations from a stone mason, of great practical 

 knowledge, in which he estimates each dam and 

 lock to cost §2250, made of good solid masonry. 

 But suppose it should be as high as -93,000 each ; 

 this would be si75,000. Suppose the widening and 

 deepening of the present canal at Petersburg to 

 cost §5,000 average for each mile; this would lie 

 ^35,000; and that the enlarging the locks cost 

 ^20,000; then the old company's stock, and the 

 cost of constructing the new mode of navigation, 

 tak^n together, would be §212,000. The interest 

 on this sum would be .§12,720 annually, and con- 

 sequently, the tolls and water rents should at least 

 yield this sum to justify such an expenditure. 



The present nett income of the present A])po- 

 mattox Company, is about .§5,000 annually. If 

 the tariff of tolls was doubled, it would be about 

 §10,000, and if the commerce should only double, 

 then the nett income would be §20,000 annually, 

 instead of .§12,720 — the sum necessary to pay 6 

 per cent, annually, upon the old stock purchased, 

 and the new expenditure. If, as a prol^able con- 

 sequence of such a navigation from Farmville to 

 Petersburg, a rail road should be constructed to 

 Staunton river, there can be no doubt but the 

 commerce would increase four-fold, instead of 

 doubling ; and if to this circumstance, we suj)pose 

 an extensive coal trade may open from Farmville 

 to Petersburg, we may fairly suppose the incomes 

 of the company might reach .§30, to .§40,000, or 

 more, annually, instead of .§20,000. And if to all 

 this, we take into calculation the necessary im- 

 provement in the agricultural interests of this part 

 of the country, and the great probability, that real 

 estate would, as a natural consequence, advance 

 50 per cent, in value, surely this scheme of navi- 

 gation presents considerations abundantly sutficient 

 to induce us to take measures to have the work ac- 

 curately measured, and correctly estimated. 



A FARMER. 



TOBACCO. 



From the Farmville Chronicle. 

 This great staple of that part of Virginia which 

 lies south of the James river, has been improving 

 in its management during the last ten years. The 

 curing especially has come near to ])erfcction, com- 

 pared to former years, but there is still great want 

 of correct information among the planters gene- 

 rally, wiih regard to the proper order and condi- 

 tion lor pressing. They have, perhaps, been mis- 

 led by publications on the suliject, and advice from 

 dealers in the article, which were intended for some 

 particular kind, yet not pro])er for all kinds. The | 



following opinions are the result of many years ex- 

 perience as a dealer in the article of tobacco, and 

 may be taken for what they are worth. The Bri ■ 

 tish markets consume, annually, about 12,000 

 hhds. of fobiKxo, principally Virginia. Tobacco, 

 to suit these markets, must be put up m the dryest 

 order possible, or as dry as it can be without break- 

 ing the leaf; a duty of' 3s. sterling per pound paid 

 by the consumer, makes dry condition indispensa- 

 ble in these markets. The French market con- 

 sumes about 4,000 hhds. of Virginia tobacco — to 

 suit that market, the dry order is not necessary. 

 Suitable qualify, and order, dry enough to keep 

 sweet through the sweat, is all that is required — 

 this favt being generally known, a portion of the 

 crop much larger in amount than the quantity 

 wanting tor France is put up in order, entirely un- 

 suitable for the British markets, (which are our 

 best markets) and is sold without the competition 

 of the British buyers to the shippers to France, or 

 is sold i'ov a low price to be stemmed or reprized in 

 dry order for the British markets. Now, it is well 

 known to shippers of tobacco, that^/?e rich tobac- 

 co, put up in order, dry enough for England, will 

 answer the demands of the French market. The 

 clear inference is, that all fine, rich tobacco, ought 

 (o be put u}) in dry order, that it may suit the 

 demands of either market. It is a well known 

 fiict, that during the past season, much fine tobac- 

 co has been sold low on account of its soft condi- 

 tion, which if dry, would have sold high for the 

 British markets. 



A MERCHAIVT. 



BRITI.SH FARMING CAPITAL. 



From tlie Genesee Farmer. 



The expense of stocking a farm of 150 acres, 

 and the necessary outlay for one year, is estimated 

 in one of the latest British publications, at £ 1450 

 9s. 6d. (§6440) of which half a year's rent forms 

 an item of £112 10s. and the poor rates another 

 item of £20 or §88,80. In the Quarterly Jour- 

 nal of Agriculture, the expense of estimating and 

 carrying on a farm of 500 acres, for one year is 

 estimated at £.3-569 17s. Ud. (§15,849) the rent 

 of which is put down at £ 1000. Of the 500 acres, 

 100 are supposed to be in fallow, turnips and po- 

 tatoes, 100 under wheat and barley, 100 oafs, 100 

 grass seeds, and 100 year old grass. With these 

 heavy charges, to which the expense of American 

 farming bears but a small proportion, British far- 

 mers live and grow wealthy. The rent, tithes and 

 poor rales are an enormous drawback in England 

 of which we have but very liltle experiniental 

 knowledge. The rent in the first case noted is 

 about .§7, and the poor rates 75 cents per acre. In 

 the latter case the rent is about .§9 per acre. The 

 only manure charged in the latter estimate (the 

 rest being made upon the farm) is 640 bushels of 

 bone dust, at 2.s. 6d. per bushel, or 80/. (§.355). 

 The expense of cultivating an acre of the several 

 crops is estimated as follows: turnips, 5/. 10s. 2(/. ; 

 barley, 4/. 14s 7d. ; clover 21. lis. lOd ; wheat, 

 51. 13s. ; beans, 51. 2s. 9d. ; oats, 41. 7s. 7d. These 

 amounts include rents, tithes, rates and taxes up- 

 on the land occupied by the several crops. In dol- 

 lars they amount to a charge of fen to twenty-four 

 per acre. It will be perceived, that the 500 acre 

 farm is under alternate husbandry — there being no 

 grass of more than one year old. 



