The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-08-18
Winchester, Va.
Correspondence Of the Herald.l

/ Asse w stS" s"tO tUStuM-TuHyuI (O~Wy-S s"sss
Lamds-COlony from NeU York-1he Improve
| msnts-Ther Enterprise Their CharaaG-IHeT
Example, and ns Wonderful Eefect in the Re
susettat;on of the County and the State-An IN
teresting Dessiption-Stats Of The Roads and
| Politics Vint to the Frederick White Sulphur
| Sprimgs-A Dinner and a passing remark.
GEN. BENNETT
| On Thursday last we left Washington, via Lees
burgh, for Winchester, in that old-fashioned ira
yelling conveyance, the stage-coach. Ten passen-
gers inside, including very large man and
woman with baby, who had, also, bandbox
Weather hot-road as rough as the passage to pur-
gatory. Penetrating into Fairfax county, Virginia,
we began to look around Us. II is one OF the old
est largest, poorest counties in the State; great
proportion Of which, worn out and exhausted fifty
years ago from incessant crops Of tobacco and
| Indian corn, has since been lying waste, and can
now only be distinguished from the original forests
from the stunted pines scrub oaks, chlnquaplns and
whortleberry bushes, with which these once pro-
| ductive tracts are now covered. But new era
| has commenced in Old Falrfax-the era OF resus-
citation and improvement Some three years ago,
| small colony of New York farmers came there
bought up, according to the means OF the respective
| families, whole farms OF these exhausted pianla-
| tions-but houses--cleared away the thckets-
covered the s0il-wlth manure-sowed grass-con-
Quoting their entire plan OF operations as Southern
| FARMERS WITH NOItIlcIH pIluClpics. uC ItouN VI
their operations was inevitable. The old fields
produced the first year bountitul cropthe success
| OF the experiment was at once realised. Other
families have since been making regular accesslons
to this New York colony, until it numbers, as we
are informed, throughout the county, at least two
hundred families The evidences Of their sagacity,
| industry. agricultural skill, and good sense, are
| most palpable to the traveller.
The poor old county OF Fartax-a proverb OF
poverty. for half century, or more, is reviylng
into. life and fertility under their hands. New
elds!are opened to the travellers view, where but
three years ago were continuous hickets OF sunted
shrubbery New houses are visible from the road
side clean, tidy, snug, commodious and comforta-
| ble-which look as il built to live IN, altogether
differing from the dilapidated, broken-backed,
dingy, doorless, roofess, and windowless shantles
| Of the natives who In many instances have deie.
riorated with the soll-equally poor III pocket and
in enterprise contented with mere vegetation.
| But new race of people, too, attract the aiten-
tion OF the passenger-men OF clear, ford, and IN.
| telligent countenances women buxom, rosy and
/ active about the enthusiastically and tidily
/ dressed, with their clothes made to TIT them-the
men with their hats all Of one plece-.their shirt
bosoms closed with button and their shoe-strlngs
| tied-their hair combed-their boards regularly
| shaved-and men, too, from whom stranger Is
not annoyed by the unfang first question OF the
native, edo you toat any tobacker about you, sr!'
| The example Of these York State people is rapidly
working the redemption Of the county. The lands
/ which they purchased at from two TO ten dollars
per acre, could now be sold Tor twenty, and the
| lands of the county at large have increased In
i
/ formation, from twenty to twenty-five per cent
Nor will the effects Of this movement stop here.
| It will extend throughout. Virginia. The Yankee
overseers Of many Of the large farmers OF the cas-
tern counties have been taking for some years, from
compulsion much as choice, the waste lands Of
their employers. old fields worked down to the
very bone, and then thrown out TO waste, tor their
| wages. They have gone at once into the work OF
the reclamation OF these deserts. Their enterprise
and skill have been uniformly successful, and the
| moral is working most happily among the great
afhamlpIypS-tnpV
mari in the very fields which have been lying idle
from exhaustion for several generat,ons--they are
hauling out the manure which has been increasing
about their stable doors in many instances unit the
| stables have rotfed down from the accumulation !;
Incredible as this may seem 10 the farmers OF New
York, it is true;)-they are blowing in the long sour
grass Of the old fields while II is green. which, from
its fermentation, operates finely in dissolvng and
fertilislng the turf-they are hedging, fencing,
dtchng and drainlDg-they are taking the old hats
out Of their windows, and substituting panes Of
glass-they are sowing clover Tor their cattle oats
for their horses, and planting potatoes tor their
blacks, Tin addition to their corn pone and her
| rings) The Yankees first cheated the natives with
their wooden clocks, and other Yankee notions;
but they have since " astonshed the natives" with
their practical spirit and system ct farming, and II
will work to the salvation Of the State.
We want more OF such farmers. There IS room
for them. They will be welcome. They can get
their land cheap, in easy payments; and with an
expenditure Of a thousand dollars, indlciously ap-
Piled in the recovery and "fi, ings" OF small farm
OF three hundred acres, they may sell it at an adj
vance Of 200 per cent upon all the costs, in the
lapse Of three years. l. can be done. II hes
six" For two hundred years every thing about
FARMS excepting the sales of the crops, has been
trusted TO the overseer and the Triggers" and the
overseer and the niggers until the Eruption of tic
North men, have been the ruin OF u.s. Come along,
gentlemen, with your families. Trouble not your
selves about our slaves and you ure welcome. You
will find that the VIrginlans are clever people,
though they are poor farmers. You will find lands
cheap, easy OF cultivation and improvement, and
near 10 market. But we want another nolhcrn
improvement-goodro roads The road from Wash
iDgton to Winchester is an abomlnable road-Mac-
adamlzed with hard granite sand stone, IN Freq
ments OF from five to ten pounds weight, murder
Gus to the poor horses doomed 10 travel il, and
the death to passenger WIN rckety constitution
road now in its very best condition, with hard dri.
wing, strong horses, and frequent relays, was ac-
complished in the short space oil seventeen hours
With all the liberal arrangements ofthe propretors
of the line, they cannot expect, therefore, TO get
the same passenger twice until the road is imprc-
we'd.
sorbed in politics. Every town and settlement
have their Clay and Polk flags their ash and hick-
DRY poles il will be hard fought battle in VIZ
gjnia. The Wings rely upon, their enthusiasm
the Democrats upon their reliable aggregate vote.
Six miles from Winchester are the Frederick
White Sulphur Springs Rode down YESTERDAY,
and dned at the general ordinary. They have
about l20 boarders al present-thc number at the
dinner table was about two hundred, ncludine
sragglers. Hon. Roger b. fancy is expected o.
to-day, and there is some talk that President Tyei
may visit the place again this summer before tho
season closes. There are lot OF fine girls at the
hotel, certainly not nvallds, from their hearty ap.
pearance. Butwe shall call down again next week,
and give you such description OF the springs and
the company as cannot fail TO be interesting 10
your readers. Bob
! MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT. The Coroner held an
. inquest this morning upon the body OF an unknown
man. apparently 30 OF age, OF respectable appear
ance supposed to be mechanic who was discovered ~
ing dead the tunnel under the bridge which crosses
Atlantic and Henry The body discovered hy
Mr. Ambrose Brown, at o'clock this morning, who
attention called TO II by servant girl who called %
his stall in Atlantic, OF Henry street There
was dew upon his boots Therewa nothing upon bis body