Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1867-04-23
Lnrrnn FRom vIRoINIA.


Special ttTFeSD0ndsnt 81 Iit JOuIHut Hfiu ot"
CAPEv1LLE, NORTHAMPTON Co., VA,
April 18th, 1867
DEAR JouRNAL:-Sincem my last, the wealth
er has cleared up and we now have warm,
balmy, delightful Spring. Peach, apple,
cherry and pear trees are in full bloom; the
wild wood flowers also are in bloom. These,
relieved by the beautiful, tall, evergreen
pines makes the country look cheerful in
decd All the sombre hues of winter are
gone. The roads are in the finest condition,
and ii won't cost one dollar per mile to put
all the roads in the county in order, this
Spring; road tax is unknown here; after
a new road is laid out and made, the people
living on il keep it up, that is when 1t needs
repairing, but that is seldom. l doubt II
there is bridge in this county that cost one
hundred dollars for constructing. The lands
being nearly level, two parallel roads called
Sea and Bay Side Roads, run the whole
length of this and Aceomac counties. These
are connected by great many cross roads
| between them. This is the whole system OF
roads. The land maintains, generally, its
| elevation to the waters edge, so we have
very little low or marsh land, none, in fact,
worth speaking of. On the Bay side, the
creeks or small streams are short, ana afford
few OF no mill streams, so we depend on
wind-mills and steam engines for our mill
power, and we have wind enough in all con-
science. A heavy southeastern sets i'll every
afternoon, from Spring till Fall, and all
Fall and Winter we have more than sniii-
Gent | tell you 1t blows gale here about
half the time, and last Summer, while 1t
was so excessively hot in Philadelphia, my
family watched the thermometer closely, and
il no time indicated 95 degrees. The first
frost was in November, last year; so we have
long season, in fact, the isothermal lines
of atmospheric temperature indicate TINS
place as of the same temperature as Nash
VILE Tennessee; and as that is fine cotton
country there is no reason why tins should
not be as good. The season is long enough TO
make u full crop here, and that is all that is
required of climate; the soil suits it, and If
the people will only improve their lands
+ cotton at % cents is equal to corn in New
Castle county at So per bushel, and you
know that is good paying crop; the only
drawback that l see, in raising cotton, is
that it exhausts the land, as no ma ure can
he made OH a cotton field, the old stalks have
to be pulled up and burned to clear up Tor
another year; as to rottng them that is out
= OF the question; you might as well try TO rot
! Whortleberry bushes, AS they are about as
hard. Ii guano could be got at a reasonable
price, we could soon put the land up. but as
> 10 phosphates of the different makes, the
l. people have been 80 swindled that doubl
+ if there was any real honest phosphate man
n pulalor 10 make present OF cargo OF ms
neSl that any OUt WOulu thht ~ uo u bllts A.
ct is an old saying that there is roguery in al
a trades, but from my observation here, ant
tho opinion of those that have used phos
pilates, that the makers Of that article arr
lt entitled to the palm. Guano at SlO0is cheape
ne than any phosphate at $50 that can be bought
81 ii there is any virtue in it at all. l recon-
Y. mend the farmer in all cases to make In
I'd own, and neve, buy it already made, unles
m lie wants to pay $50 or $50 per ton for som
n11 fn,n1rtr cxUnnpiuUa Tim ghoH
V. has opened here now, the shore seines haul
ing in so many at Cape Charles that the
sell for $40 per hundred. Think Of that y
in Wilmngtonians. Eggs are Is cents pc
TX dozen; chickens % cents apiece; old fowl
be 80 cents; turkeys 81 to $125; for WOO
30 cents Tor unwashed, 2j cents for WASHED
and, from the quantity of sheep l see,
think the wool clip will be large Mile
cows sell from SIS up 10 SEQ, they are sma
but good; work oxen, from $50 up to SIC
per yoke, but the people here mostly US
them single to small cart, which they ca
"A tumbrill, so when you price oxen you haN
TO be careful to say OK or oxen; horses al
nd high. Northern are nearly worthless the fir
be season, or until they become acclimate'
the native breed appear To be cross betwee
Chnguteague Poney and our Norther
70 horses, and some of them are valuable one
50, generally fast roadsters and hardy wol
~ horses but as one horse is all that is ev
an used 10 u plow at time, it takes only hs
- as many 10 till the same sized farm here
tn, with you; as TO the expense Of shoeing horse
no not one in fifty, here, was ever shod; u
nd roads being II loan or clay, and no stone
NV gravel, nothing to wear out the hoot, she
ing is notT required. Asto stone you could n
gather one horse cart load in ono hundr
'ay miles of travel on any road of this or Acc
VIC, mac counties. The farmers send regularly
ma Baltimore every fall for stones 10 heat t
l'u water to kill hogs with Although this al
Accomae counties is merely narrow rid
pushed out for one hundtd miles long,
" tweenthc Chesapeake bay and Atlantic ocea
rye we hive good, sweet, dear, fresh water
10 abundance such {. thug as well of brat
at Ii water is unknown; and the fishermen {
holes In the sand four or five feet deep, or
Il few feet above high water, and get all I
viii fresh water they want; the farm right at
hot Cape has well of cold, fresh water equal
ZEN. any in the county; end the long drought
yer last summer only uliecled the wells of tho
int who were too careless to dig them 10 prof.
depth. Yours, S