Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-06-29
Maryland Correspondence.

The great drawback to the phys
ical development of Maryland, is the
impoverished condition of its soil.
Tie country, in its general appears
ance, resembles somewhat New
York and southern Ohio. Its south-
ern and western portions, are undu,
lating and somewhat mountainous,
with cool sparkling streams of living
water, reminding one of many por,
tions Of southern and western Wis
consin Trout thrive in these creeks
and rivulets, besides various other
kinds of the tinny tribe, affording an
abundance of excellent food for the
more destitute of our population.
Our principal food, however, is corn
bread and bacon and as a certain
Methodist preacher of my aoquain>
ance said, who had been compelled
to adopt the habits of the people
whom be serves, che had lived SO
long and exclusively on pork and
bacon, that he was absolutely asham-
ed to look hog in the face" The
redeeming trait in the soil of the
South is, it is capable Of a high state
of cultivation but it takes a fortune
to turn an arid desert into a fruitful
field This can only be done by fer
tilizers, snch as guano, bono dust,
lime, and various othor substances,
which go to make up the composts
best suited to make the land produc-
tive. Timber is abundant, and con
siderable land in Maryland is now
being cleared of timber for the first
time since its settlement. Nothing
looks more desolate than our old |
sedge fields and these can be bought
almost in sight of the National Cap
itol, for from SIS to $50 per acre.
Fifteen dollars worth of fertilizers to
an acre Of such land, will make it
exceedingly productive, and afford
the owner of the soil some remuner-
alton, in the way Of products, for
such a lavish expenditure. When
the soil is thus enriched, small out
lay for composts will keep the farm
in paying condition. Much of the
land in Montgomery County can be
bought for a small sum but the nec-
essary outlay to make it productive,
is startling to a Westerner who has
seen farms in Wisconsin, of a much
better quality, sold for from S. to
SO per acre.
Much of the county bordering on
the District of Columbia, on the |
north, is not worth any more, in my |
view: for agricultural purposes, in it's
present condition, than your garden
was, friend Cover, in the time of
great dearth, during the summer
the writer happened to be
stationed in Lancaster, which you
declared was "not worth shucks."
In approaching Washington from the
west and north, the traveller is
struck with the fewness and poverty
of the gardens, cultivated for the use
of the city population. No rich
nurseries Of valuable fruit, no we'll
cultivated, paying gardens meet the
eye, such as one sees in approaching
the city of Galena, GAINESVILLE, or
Milwaukee. A live Yankee could
make fortune, raising vegetables for
Washington market, in ten years.
And if you had "Aladdin S wonderful
Lamp" giving you the power to
transplant your nursery within ten
miles Of the Capitol, you could let the
boys of the Herald Office do the rest
Of the type setting" as long as you
lived.
Frank Blair, sen. and Montgomery
Blair own large possessions border
ing on the District of Columbia, but
what | often see Of their plantations
leads me to think they never amasss,
ed their wealth in raising sweet po-
tatoes or cultivating Virginia tobac-
co. The senior Blairs farm don't
look half as well as friend KiIby's, in
Hurricane nor has he taken half
the pains, with all his ",aiggers, to
produce such fine showing Of veget>
ables and summer fruits. Montgom-
ery's mansion stands on an elevation
fronting the east and south, nearly
half a mile from the Washington
turnpike, aud about mile south of
the more rustic residence Of his fath-
er. The Blairs' never made their
wealth farming; though it is said
Mother Blair is most industrious
matron of the olden stock and con-
tlnues to set an example, in this re-
spect, that some of her children don't
follow.
This country needs a quantity of
such men as friends Quincy, Kelts,
Walker, Kilby, Ransom, Earle, Ram
say and others of Grant County,
with their good wives to manufacture
such good butter and cheese as to
make the eyes of the natives stand
out with amazement. IF any of
these or other friends wish to pur-
chase farms in Maryland, they can
be directed to localities well worthy
their consideration. More anon.
Montgomery Co., Nd, June IA 49, GLORIOUS.
FARE TO THE PACIFIC.-The Differ
ences between the two Pacific Rail-