Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-02-17
King George County, Va,
From the fredericksburg Herald.

advantages of King George county, is from the
pen of Col. Edward T. Tayloe, and will be
read, both at home and abroad, with interest.
"The County of King George in the State
of Virginia, lies between the Potomac and the
Rsppahannock rivers. Its Western boundary
begins about eight miles below fredericksburg
-thcnce to its Eastern line, separating it from
Westmoreand, is about twenty miles. Its
narrowest width is about two miles above the
Court House of the county, Situated near its
centre) where the distance between the two
rivers is about six miles-the widest section is
from Port Conway on the Rappahannock to
Matthias Point, 20 miles There are steam
boat landings at each termination of these two
lines. Several steamers touch at the landings
on the Potomac-there are two on the Kappa
hammock.
The elevation of the central ridge, which d.
vides the waters which flow to the two rivers,
is from $50 to 200 feet in its Western section,
declining considerably towards its Eastern linn
its. A considerable stream, the Machodoc,
penetrates the county from the Potomac, and
is navigable to within a few miles of the cen
ire and widest portion.
The soil is we'll adapted to the cereals ap-
pies, pears, peaches, grapes, figs, plums, april
cots, melons, and the various berries grew plen-
titully. The largo fruits arc best adapted to
the soil and climate in the order named. The
natural grasses.a herds grass, blue grass, white
clover. Red clover fourishes finely, with sui
table application ofplaster of Paris especially,
after applications Of lime at the rate of 25 to
so bushels to the acre Before the war, lime
was delivered on the Rappahannock at the
price of seven to twelve cents per bushel,
brought from New York or Baltimore When
l. ;ob, rs ;n4r
as they will be, near the mouth of the river,
lime can be furnished at the same low rate.
The wheat crop, in years of good harvest,
averaged from 10 to 30 bushels per acre. Corn
produced commonly from Is to so. This crop
rarely fails to serious extent. The soil is well
adapted to tobacco, which was the principal
crop in the early settlement of the country,
though little of it has been cultivated in late
years. AS this product appreciates In valuo,
it may again form chief article of culture.
The light cost Of shipping products to mar
ket by the rivers on each side, is OF essentia
Importance to cultivators. The Rappahannock
possesses all the advantages of narrow and
deep canal large quantities of grain, timber,
cord-wood, &c, are shipped from the banks OF
the noble Potomac-ra an inland bay or
sea than river.
The most desirable and fertile lands of the
country sell from fifteen to thirty dollars per
acre. There is much excellent land, unlm-
proved, or with indifferent homcstcads, to be
bought Ut from four to ten dollars-large por-
tions of it covered with good growth of oak,
hickory, locust, cedar, pine, &C. A few miles
above the Courthouse, there are large bodies
OF this description, stretching from Potomac
creek to the Rappahannock, underlayed by
=, IL, II, 1,xH-
at the mouth Of that creek, and crops out oc
Rappahannock above Port Conway. Whcre
open land, prices are, Of course, higher-and
ridge consists of soil susceptible of high i'm
provement-water of excellent quality abounds
everywhere; there are mills for grinding wheat
and corn, two of which manufacture excellent
-four The compactness and form Of the coun-
ty give facility of access to the seat OF justice,
and to the markets of Fredericksburg, Balti-
more, Alexandria, Washington.
The climate is generally mild. There arc in
winter cold spells which give good ice for the
summer use, and occasional SHOWS. But for
the most part, stock require little or no shell
ter; and in good pastures, they require very
little food beyond what the pastures afford
them. Sheep rs well as other stock, thrive
well.
In 1860, there were 70, 1853 acres of improved,
and 42,743 unimproved land in farms, averag-
ing together, seventeen dollars, cash value.
This statement derived from the census, shows
how largely below their real value are the pres
ent selling prices of these lands. There were
then only 10 farms of over 1000 acres, 80 be-
tween 500 and 1000, ,160 between 100 and 500,
IS between so and 100, 46 between 20 and 50,
10 between 10 and 20, and l between 3 and TO-
This statement shows that the number suscep-
tlble of division into small farms, Is quite IN
considerable.
The white population is probably larger than
in 1860, but the colored has diminished greatly,
leaving their places to be filled, as it is hoped,
by more thrifty class of inhabitants. For
want of competent labor, it is computed that
less than three-ffths of the arabic lands are
now cultivated, the rest inviting emigrants to
come and till them. The abandonment of them
is leading to their deterioration for purposes of
cultivation; but in few years, these lands
will be covered with valuable growth of trees
of various kinds-mostly pine, which grows ra-
pidly to q useful size.
The health of King George is equal to that
ofany county in tide water Virginia The free
use of lime will Danish all malarious desease to
the margins of marshes Its elevation and
rolling character give it fine ventilation.
On its Potomac border, herring, shad and
other fish are caught in seines in great numbers
on the Rappahannock, also, but in less quantity.
To PRESERVE PEaGED BooTs. strong
est and cheapest boots aud shoes worn in this
country, sometimesfail, owing to the shrinking
OF the wooden pegs. A very simple remedy is
to rub petroleum along the line where the up
per leather is Joined to the sole When tn