Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-03-17

not, lastly TO be forgotten, that while
"a canal or river improvement cannot
be enlarged without considerable AL
ditionai expenditure, = railway on an
inferior scale at first, may facilitate
its further Improvement"
have made these remarks TO excite
inquiry, and because your intelligent
correspondent seems To contemplate
but one plan Of improvement, whilst
the Charlestown meeting alluded To
three, without pretending to determine
which j. preferable. Whichsoever is
ultimately adopted, il will become the
advocates Of the others to acouiesce
in the decision. aud to unite cordially
in its support without regard to local
interest or any private consideration.
That either is attsinabie BY the appli.
cation Of the individual resources Of
the persons concerned, even without
the assistance which may be rea.ona-
bly, expected from the State. | have
no doubt, and that il would be their
interest, thus to apply them, l think
il demonstrable.
There are farmers in Frederick who
sell from one TO two thousand barrels
of Hour. and many others from four To
SIX hundred,t the transportation of which
now costs a dollar a barrel, and would
IN the event supposed, cost % cents.
Higher up the river the difference will
be greater. Let them subscribe sum
the interest OF which will amount to
only one fourth Of this saving and the
work will be done.
Again, the cost OF transportation IL
must De recolIected is n deduction from
the clear profits of the farmer, and in
estimating its effect upon the price and
value Of land, we must consider the
proportion it bears to those profits and
not TO the whole price of the article
produced. For the sake Of illustration
let Us suppose the cost of producing q
barrel Of -four To be 80. If the farmer
gets for it only four dollars. its trans.
portation costing him one, he makes
nothing, and his land, SO far as re.
spects that production, is absolutely
valueless. IL he gets five dollars. his
profit is one, and il he can lesson
the cost Of transportation so cents, his
profit Is IN that case increased so per
cent. and his land, so far as respects
that production, is really raised in
value that amount. Assuming these
principles, ii is a very moderate con
putation to say, that all the lands in
Frederick within a convenient distance
Of the improvement. would be raised
in value by il at least 25 per cent. and
higher up the valley in greater proper
ton. Let the land holders then, in
consideration Of this advantage. sub.
scribe half, or fourth, or even q fifth
OF such augmented value, and the work
will be done. Moreover they would
send TO market many articles which
now will not bear the cost Of trans
portation, such as lumber, hay, &c.
They would get larger price for their
produce by creating better market.
aud attracting to it more capital, and
their return loads would cost them
less by the difference in the cost of
transportation. Let them subscribe
the amount Of these savings and the
work will be accomplished.
They are urged to do this by every
consideration Of interest. even If they
should sink the whole amount Of thei,
subscription. But there 10 reason "a
believe that the stock would be valua.
BILE, and that even capitalists having
no interest in the soil, would be Jus.
tiled in taking it, with fair prospect
Of remuneration.
i have beard it conjectured that there
are manufactured in the county of Fred
erick alone. more than so, 600 barrels
of Hour. The counties Of Augusta
Rockingham and Shenandoah, and that
part OF Jefferson which would transport
its produce through this channel, are
also great producers Of wheat, and It's
cultivation would be vastly increased,
IT the cost Of transportation could be
materially lesscned. Add to th, $, the
produce which might be expected "a
come even from the cast Of the ridge
to some parts Of the line, the quantity
OF bulky articles TO which new ma, kei
would be opened. and the return loads
of iron, salt, plaster and other MGR.
cbandize and il is not perhaps, ex
travagant to suppose that IS, 600 tons
would be conveyed to and from mar
ke', and some persons have thought
that there would be more. Assuming
90 miles rs the average distance il
would be carried, and the toll TO be
81 20 cents per ton, equal to two cents
per ton per mile, IL would produce a
revenue Of $4,000 giving an interest
Of 6 per cent. on the expenditure Of
a million and half Of dollars, Which is
more than the probable cost Of the
most expensive improvement contem
plated. ! invite gentlemen who are
better acquainted with the resources
and Dro1uettona of fhe caanfrv ,v:.,.