368 
LETTERS FROM VIRGIN! A.-^NO. 2. 
LETTERS FROM VIRGINIA.—No. 2. 
Jn my last letter I had occasion to advert to the 
fact that during a few years past, an extensive emi¬ 
gration has been in progress from the Northern and 
Eastern States to different portions of Virginia, and 
particularly to the lower or tide-water sections of 
this ancient Commonwealth. From inquiries which 
I have instituted in reference to this point since my 
arrival here, I have ascertained that within the past 
six or seven years, nearly a quarter of a million of 
dollars has been invested in the purchase of lands 
in the single county of Fairfax, one of the smallest 
counties of the State, situated on its north-eastern 
boundary, immediately adjacent to the District of 
Columbia, chiefly by New York and New England 
men ; and that from two to three hundred heads of 
families have, within that period, become citizens of 
this portion of the State. This tide of emigration 
and settlement is still in full flood—and scarcely a 
month elapses without bringing its quota of enter¬ 
prising farmers, mechanics and tradesmen, from the 
“ Northern hive” to this attractive region. Most of 
these people may be regarded as permanent inhabit¬ 
ants ; a few, however, “ put their hands to the 
plow, and look back” after a year or two of inef¬ 
fectual endeavors to surmount the difficulties and 
discouragements of a new and untried region. 
Over exertion in agricultural labors during the long 
.‘summer days—the occasional failure of an impor¬ 
tant crop or inability to realize from its proceeds a 
-sufficient sum to meet the necessary expenditures of 
the year—a lonely and secluded residence “ far from 
the busy haunts of men”—home-sickness and mis¬ 
fortunes of various kinds, resulting chiefly from an 
unwise investment G.f their funds in the purchase 
of “ cheap lands” unfavorably situated, and requir¬ 
ing too great an outlay of capital and labor to ren¬ 
der productive and remunerating—these and similar 
drawbacks serve now and then to discourage and 
depress the emigrant, and he abandons his under¬ 
taking in despair, and returns to “ the flesh-pots of 
Egypt.” But the far greater number became iden¬ 
tified and incorporated with the community among 
which they have cast their fortunes—reclaim speedily 
the worn-out soils—introduce new and valuable 
improvements—cause the wilderness literally to 
“bud and blossom”—erect churches,school-houses, 
and barns—and availing themselves skilfully of the 
numerous advantages which the mildness of the 
climate, the natural fertility of the soil, and the 
proximity of excellent markets afford, soon attain to 
affluent circumstances and permanent prosperity in 
their new homes. 
The county of Fairfax, embracing the city of 
Alexandria and Mount Vernon, is separated from 
the District of Columbia/on the north-east by the 
Potomac, which, having its source in the great val¬ 
ley of Virginia, lying between the Blue Ridge and 
the Alleghanies, cuts its way through the former, 
and empties itself into the Chesapeake Bay at a 
point about equidistant from the northern and 
southern boundary of the State. The Potomac is 
navigable for sloops and vessels of the highest bur¬ 
den, as far as Georgetown, the western extremity 
of the district, one mile west of Washington, and 
some ten miles north of Alexandria. Crossing the 
river by a spacious covered bridge, four miles 
north-westerly from Georgetown, you enter at once 
upon the territory of Virginia. The soil through¬ 
out this region consists of an upper stratum of 
sandy loam resting on a rich and fertile subsoil of 
red clay, overlying to a considerable depth rocks of 
gneiss and granite. These underlying rocks fre¬ 
quently make their appearance at the surface, and 
furnish abundant and valuable materials for buildings, 
fences, &c. To a great extent, however, they have 
become disintegrated by the long continued action of 
the elements, and are rapidly decomposing and 
mingling with the surface soil. Wherever this soil 
has been subjected for any considerable period to a 
judicious cultivation, and properly supplied from 
time to time, with fertilizing manures, its products, 
as I observed in my first letter, have been found to 
equal those of the richest portions of the river coun¬ 
ties of your State, and even in many instances of 
Western New York and Long Island. A very large 
proportion of these lands has, however, long suf¬ 
fered and become seriously deteriorated, either from 
exhaustion, by incessant croppings without rotation, 
or insufficient manuring, or from utter neglect, from 
the impossibility of taking into cultivation the whole 
or indeed any considerable portion of the large es¬ 
tates, often comprising from five to ten thousand 
acres, of the wealthy proprietors. In the former 
case, a judicious application of labor and capital is 
all that is requisite to the complete restoration of 
the soil to its natural fertility, and this process is 
easily effected within at most two or three years, 
and at a cost not exceeding five dollars an acre; 
and, in the latter, lands which have become covered 
with pines and other forest trees, and the cultiva¬ 
tion of which has for years been wholly abandon¬ 
ed, may be reclaimed and converted into arable, 
meadow, or pasture-land, as may be required, at an 
expense not exceeding ten or fifteen dollars per 
acre. 
The crops which have been found to succeed best 
in this neighborhood, are wheat, rye, oats, Indian 
corn, and potatoes. The average yield of wheat 
may be set down at twelve bushels per acre, and 
that of corn at thirty-five. Where lime, plaster, and 
ashes have been liberally bestowed, and the requi¬ 
site attention paid to the cultivation in all its stages, 
these crops will be proportionably augmented in 
amount, and twenty bushels of wheat, and from 
seventy-five to one hundred of corn per acre, may 
safely be relied upon, from lands of average pro¬ 
ductiveness. On the river-bottoms from two to 
three tons of hay and clover are annually realized. 
The immediate proximity, by means of good 
roads, to one of the best and most constant markets 
in the Union—that of Washington—the salubrity 
and mildness of the climate—winter being practi¬ 
cally almost unknown, and the numerous facilities 
afforded by an equable and steady temperature for 
the raising and fattening of stock of every descrip¬ 
tion—these circumstances, together with the fertility 
of the soil, and the low prices at which farms can 
be obtained, present substantial inducements for emi¬ 
gration to those who, from any reason, are inclined 
to change their domicil. That this portion of the 
Union is eminently conducive to health—that its 
balmy breezes and invigorating temperature are es¬ 
pecially favorable to those constitutions which have 
any tendency to pulmonary complaints, the experi¬ 
ence of many who have sought and found in this 
