SOIL 



abotinds with pine and cedar trees. Some parts of 

 it are well cultivated, and afford good crops; but 

 these are so intermixed with extensive tracts of 

 waste land, worn out by the culture of tobacco, and 

 which are almost destitute of verdure, that on the 

 whole, the country has the appearance of barren* 

 ness. 



In Urbaima, upon the Rappahannoc, in the county 

 of Middlesex, the soil is white, loose and sandy. At 

 Richmond, and the neighbourhood, it is sandy, but 

 on the banks of James river, rich. Near the south- 

 west mountain, the soil is a red clay, very good for 

 wheat. The country pleasant and healthful. In 

 Frederick and Berkley counties, the best part of the 

 country lies between the waters of the Opeckan 

 creek, and the Shenandoah. It is the richest lime- 

 stone land on the eastern waters of ttis state. It i-s 

 of a dark grey, and supposed to be much about the 

 same quality as the third rate land in Kentucky. 

 Soil of Kentucky. 



Kentucky generally lies upon a bed of lime-stone, 

 which is commonly about eight feet below the sur- 

 face, exc-ept in the vallies, where the soil is much 

 thinner. A tract of about 20 miles wide, along the 

 banks of the Ohio, is hilly, broken land, interspersed 

 with many fertile spots. The rest of the country is 

 agreeably uneven, gently ascending and descending, 

 at no great distance. The angles of ascent are from 

 eight to twenty-four degrees, and sometimes more. 

 The vallies in common are very narrow, and the 

 soil in them is very thin, and of an inferior quality ; 

 and that along the ascending ground is frequently 

 not much better ; for where you see a ti'ee blown up, 



