The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-03-19
FoH THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
West Virginia. Place for Emigrants.
Mt. CLINTON, Va, March 9Th, 1873.

Mt CLINTON, VA, March 9th, 1873.
Mr.. Editor.-In my former communication
promised further particulars in regard TO the won
derful and undeyeloped country in East Randolph
and North Pocohontas. This is the country for
persons of small MEANS and who are seeking cheap
homes. Land in large or small tracts can be pur-
chased with perfect titles at from S., $40, or Sl2
per acre. am credibly informed that at this time
the terms are one-third in hand, the balance In
equal instalments without interest, from three to
FIVE years. In this region, amply sufficient to sus'
tain a population of twenty or thirty thousand
souls, there are between one and two thousand now
settled in scattered neighborhoods.
They farm but little, and that generally In
sovenly manner. The land for their crops is usually
prepared with the shovel pillow, and hoe, and they
rarely ever tail to raise twenty to thirty bushels oil
wheat, twenty five or thirty of corn, thirty to forty
of rye, and marvellous quantities of Irish potatoes
and oats, to the acre. Flies, bugs joint worms
and rust are among the things they bear their
visitors from the Valley talk about as enemies to
the crops, but nothing OF the sort has been known
to injure anything in this country. Wheat has
been cut there as late as the middle of August
Grain always commands a good price, for many
would rather buy than have the trouble Of raising
it, especially those who have the means OF buying
stock for their farms. The easiest honest way Of
making money is on grazing farm. There is no
business except Mobilier stock that pays so well,
and easily, purchasing in the spring, and SELL
ing 10 the fall. The greater part Of these lands is
easily cleared, being covered principally with sugar
tree and beech. This timber rarely sprouts when
belted, and the stumps soon rot, and when such
land is once cleared it remains clear the blue grass
sod permits nothing else to grow The yew pine
and red cherry is hard to get rid of where they
grow. None have seen a stump of these trees
gotten rid Of, by decay but for grazing purposes
the stumps are not much in the way and when
they become dry it Is an easy matter to burn them
off level with the ground where one wishes to NOW
The projected Washington and Ohio railroad passes
through the northern part of this region. The
narrow guage railroad called Washington, Cincin-
natl and st. Louis road passes within few miles
south of it, or We might properly say along its
southern border. At present there are three sta.
tons Of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad within
fifty miles of the heart of this country, and with
little expense good roads can be made to these
points. The summer climate is all one could wish
The winters are long aud cold, but, strange to say
live stock can live here on the new grass ten days
sooner than in the Valley. For fruit trees this
region as far as tried is unsurpassed. 1t is the
very country for Presbyterians. In these days Of
change and teverish activity, it would be so nice il
two or three hundred true blue families from old
Virginia and Scotland would locate here, and form
citadel OF our faith. With the gospel in its
purity with all the cereals and fruits that can grow
anywhere else with the purest air and water in
the world with the best OF soils; with land liz.
orally flowing with milk and honey, where people
rarely die except from green old age, what better
place could one desire between now and the time
when there shall be - a new earth?
Col. Golf, Capt Cresop, James Logan, Esq,
intelligent and very reliable gentlemen and citizens
of Beverly, could give all other information to
parties wishing to see and hear more of this re-
markable country. Mr.. Logan has perhaps ex
plored much of it in person, as surveyor.
Yours as ever, w. T. p.