Middletown transcript., 1870-07-23
Correspondence Of The 1Fddletorn Transcript.
NEAR CApEyrLLE, Northampton Co. Va.
July 1lth, 1870.

Ouiy lltn, lcIU.
Dear Transcript Since my last let
ter to you, we have had quite dry spell
Of it, in fact it began to look serious, with
US, and our crops. but the Almighty smil-
ed d-upon us once more, and gave Us splen-
did rain, and makes the country and
crops look quite different. 1t seems that
God has not quite forsaken this country
yet The farmers here are all done cut
ting oats, and are busy stacking them, to
be trarnped out with horses next month.
We have very good crop of oats this
year. There was very good crop of Irish
potatoes raised this year, but they do not
bring very good price; one farmer shipp-
ed 80 barrels to New York and received
forty-fve cents clear of all expense for the
lot, while others had to pay the freight,
without getting anything for their pota-
toes. So you see farming is not very
lucrative business here, still they manage
to live here, though. 1t does not cost
much to support family, here, as "hoe-
cake" (corn bread, and bacon are the
principal, and oysters, fish, and clans are
the auxiliary provisions used.
Z This is splendid country for sportsmen.
I've seen and counted II squirrels on one
tree. Partridges are so thick and tame
that they will hardly get out of your way.
We have also coons, opossums, rabbits,
ducks of all kinds, geese, brandt, Willis,
and all other sea-fowl in abundance, in fact
we have cunning all the year round The
g natives are too lazy to gun any is the
reason the partridges are so tame, they do
sometimes muster courage enough to go
fox-hunting, but very seldom. We have
no mechanics here, but plenty of &c Jacks
of all trades" A good, first-class carpen-
ter would be a curiosity here, all farmers
do all of their own repairing, and when
they need anything made that is beyond
their skill they invariably send to Norfolk
for it, because their fathers did before
them.
They have queer way of naming their
children here, for instance, William John,
John Benjamin, Thomas Henry, Obediah
George, Thomas Ann, Benjamin Fannie,
William Sarah, &c. and in addressing each
other they use the whole name. About
every third man you meet you may " bet
your boots" he's captain, as every one
that owns canoe is always addressed as
good watermen, and hand-live fishermen,
as fishing is nearly all they do in August.
Among the peculiaritics of this country
ore a Devils Ditch, and Fresh Water
Lake, that has neither outlet or bottom,
according to their (natives) belief, but ac.
cording to common sense it has a subtera.
mean outlet to the bay, as it is only about
two hundred yards from the Chesapeake
Bay; as to the ditch, it is simply gulch
about half mile long and from one to three
hundred yards wide; the legend is, that
the devil commenced to dig ditch from
the bay to the sea,-about p miles-bu
after he had dug one spadeful, he broke i
and could not proceed any farther, ant
this ditch is one spit of his spade. a grea
many of the lower class of whites and ne
groes firmly believe it to be fact. May
be he (the devil thought the countr,
was not worth mending Ills spade for, O
he would have finished his ditch.
We have little or no hills here, anC
britchens are never used on the horses
as they are not required. They use hoe,
for loading cart, instead of shovels, an
when they go out to mend roads all they tae
with them is hoe and an axe each The
can load cart about as quick as a com
mon person can with shovel. 1t gene.
rally takes about five amendments to d
three mems work. They will not go t
work until the sun is about an hour hig
and quit little while before sundown.
fgFt N rst j. J. T.
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