160 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



what disease is. We once heard Gen. Jackson, 

 who was at least a man of strong mind and 

 profound observation, remark, that of all the 

 portions of the world that had come under his 

 notice none had been so blessed by nature as 

 the tide water region of Virginia. 



The country above tide water, which Mr. 

 Lewis did not visit, presents different but almost 

 equal attractions, and is as healthful as any por- 

 tion of the globe. 



VIRGINIA LANDS. 



In compliance with my promise, I will attempt 

 to give you a limited description of that portion 

 of Virginia which I went to see for the purpose 

 of settling. I first went to Washington, and 

 having letters to the Hon. S. B. Strong, M. C, 

 of this District, and the Hon. M. B. Leonard, 

 of your city, I stated to them that I wished to 

 visit Eastern Virginia, when they introduced 

 me to the Hon. Messrs. Bayly and Atkinson, of 

 Virginia. These gentlemen gave me some in- 

 formation in relation to the land in their districts, 

 and letters to some of their friends residing in 

 the counties I wished to visit. 



From Washington I went by the rail road to 

 Richmond, and from Richmond down James 

 River by steamboat, stopping at Grove Wharf, 

 the steamboat landing for Williamsburg. The 

 north bank of the James River is perhaps one 

 of the finest wheat districts in the United States ; 

 the Shirley estate, nearly opposite City Point, 

 averages about thirty bushels of wheat per acre. 

 The Brandon estates make ten thousand bushels 

 each per year. Westover, and many other es- 

 tates, in the same proportion. I rode over por- 

 tions of James City. York, and Warwick coun- 

 ties. The James River lands are generally of a 

 stiff clay, but grow lighter and more loamy as 

 they recede from the river, until you come on to 

 the ridge, which divides the small streams that 

 empty into York and James rivers — thence to 

 the York River they change very little. The 

 York River lands are net as stiff as those on 

 the James River until you get below Yorktown, 

 where the land is lower, flatter and stiffer. The 

 higher lands are considerably broken with deep 

 ravines, particularly on the rivers ; and from 

 them the marls, which underlay the whole coun- 

 try, and with which I supplied you samples, are 

 dug to be applied to the soil. This marl is fre- 

 quently found at the surface in the sides of the 

 ravines. In nearly all those ravines there are 

 small streams of water issuing out, and often 

 spreading over the whole bottom, which is the 

 chief cause of the fall sickness, such as fever 

 and ague, and bilious fever, which are no worse 

 than at the boasted West, if as bad. These 

 can be drained at a small expense. 



Nearly three-fourths of the land from the 



Chickahominy to Hampton is in forest. The 

 benefit of marling here has been surprising, es- 

 pecially on the farm of Mr. Nelson (to whom I 

 had a letter of introduction), and at Yorktown, 

 on the battle ground, which I have not time to 

 describe, otherwise than to say that the plough 

 and time have obliterated nearly all the evidences 

 of the American parallels, while the British re- 

 doubts remain in a good state of preservation. 

 Mr. N. politely showed the farms in his neigh- 

 borhood. I saw a very striking effect of marl 

 on these also. On one of these a field had been 

 marled, leaving by accident a strip unmarled. 

 The difference was perceptible as far as the 

 grain could be seen. 



The farm of Mr. Wynne, on James River, at 

 the Grove Wharf, is a good illustration of the 

 effect of marling and clovering. Having a letter 

 to him, and being kindly invited to partake of 

 his generous hospitality for several days, I had 

 during my rambles there a good opportunity of 

 examining his farm and mode of cultivation. — 

 He is a very intelligent and gentlemanly man, 

 and a very good practical farmer ; and any one 

 visiting that part of Virginia for a location, 

 would do well to call and see him. People 

 from all sections of Virginia daily passing, gives 

 him an ample opportunity to become extensively 

 acquainted in his State. He told me that he 

 bought his farm six years ago, and it was 

 thought to be very poor. He has one thousand 

 acres of land. The house is one of the finest 

 specimens of the old Virginia style I saw in my 

 rambles. It is seventy-four by forty-four feet, 

 two stories high, the stories fifteen feet between 

 joints, with wainscotted ceiling. It is built of 

 j brick, and more than a hundred years old, and 

 still in a fine state of preservation. He said 

 j that when he bought the farm it would not pro- 

 iduce more than three hundred bushels of wheat 

 | a year, and b}' marling, clovering, and other im- 

 ' provement, his last year's crop reached one thou- 

 sand six hundred bushels, eighty acres averaging 

 sixteen bushels per acre. If he carries out his 

 present system of improvement, he can double 

 this yield in six years more. He cultivates on 

 the three field system ; corn, wheat, clover ; 

 sowing wheat after corn, and some on a clover 

 ley, and then putting corn right after wheat. — 

 If land will improve under this system I think 

 it must be good. Such a continued cropping 

 might be exchanged for one like this with pro- 

 fit — first corn, second oats, third clover, fourth 

 wheat, fifth, sixth and seventh, if you please, 

 with clover and timothy, and keep more stock, 

 and keep them better, for the cattle in Virginia 

 are miserable enough. Thus they would make 

 more manure, and consequently raise more grain ; 

 and the more manure there is applied, the more 

 marl the land will bear. Southern Virginia 

 owes an inestimable debt of gratitude to Mr. 

 Ruffin for his work on calcareous manures ; for 



