Middletown transcript., 1870-07-02
Correspondence Of tie 4Mddletown Transcript
NEAR CApERvILLE, Northampton CO. Va,
June II, 1870.

CUT'FtSyOHdcNcG
NEAR CApERvGLLE, Northampton Co. Va,
June II, 1870.
Friend Editor Being native of New
Castle county and knowing how farming
is carried ON there, will give you an
idea how {" the thing is did here, as the
H. f. VS. here think they are the most
enlightened people on the face of the earth.
Spring opens here about the 1st of Febru-,
ary, when they commence plowing in OATS.
the oats are sown broadcast, and plowcdl
in with one horse and Il small plow, about.
3 inches deep, the rougher they can get
the land plowed the better. A harrow or
roller is something they consider ns use
less. If they lime the land-which they
do perhaps once in ten or twelve years
they check the land out 20 feet square and
in the centre of each square a certain num--
Der Of shoeeLfuHs of lime are put in u pile
it is then spread After oats are in plow-
ing for corn is commenced Corn is UP
generally about the last of March or first
of April. Iot-bcds for sweet potatoes are
then made, and " tater patches" as they
call them, are prepared the ground is
plowed shallow, and furrows run about
, feet apart; the manure is hauled out and
dumped in pile and then " toted in IA
blsket and scattered along the row. When
the sprouts in the hot-beds are ready for
planting out, small furrow is thrown on
the manure from eachside, and the sprouts
inserted in this double-furrow about 20
inches apart Oats are cradled altogether,
as there is not reaper in the county. |
have seen 20 Graders in one field at
time The grain is not bound into sheaves
but lie in the field until properly cured,
then hauled in and stacked. 1t takes four
men to drive horse power, each man has
a switch and walks around behind each
sweep and drives pair of horses. What
would the farmers around Middletown
think of moving their clover with a butch
er-knife? 1t was actually the case hero
last week. and at the same time the own
er of this novel mower can count his dol
lars by thousands. Sweet potatoes is tho
main crop here and the farmers under
stand raising them. Corn and oats are
raised in small quantities Wheat is not
sown at all Cotton is not raised here
now, but was few years back, also the
castor bean Corn is titled almost alto
gcther with a plow, but sometimes ''dev-
il" (cultivator) is used. Corn-cribs are
called corn-stacks corn cobs are called
corn -husks, corn-husks are called corn
shucks, saw-log is called churk, ~
fenee-rail is called a fence-log, cultiva-
tor is called devil so much for 'North-
ampton vocabulary" This is a warm.
delightful country, and with lime, north
ern capital, and northern brains, could be
made almost the garden of America, but
the people now occupying the land, lack
all of the above. If you ask them why
they don't improve, in their farming uten-
sils, etc they will tell you their fathers
and grandfathers made a living farming
that way, and they can do the same /; it is
not much more than living, assure you.
Land is very cheap here now and plenty
for salc-average price $40 per acre, i'm
proven ments included.
The land is a light sandy soil with a
clay bottom, good for any kind of truck.
with landing about every miles for ves-
sells and steamboats,, the trucking business
could be made profitable one. We have
oysters, fish, and clans all the year round.
You can get dozen of large trout for 25
cents. CLANS Is, 20, 25, cents per 100,
according to size. 1t is impossible for a
person to starve here, and | think it is a
good thing for the F. Il. VS.. here, as
they are lazy, indolent unenterprising set
of people, aud whose only enjoyment is
thinking, and talking about 9 before tho
war" and yankees; but they are harm-
less set of people and very noighborly. l.
will give you some of our manners and
customs in my next which think will
amuse your kind readers. J. J. T..