The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-16
Some Mere Things About Acco
'o and the Seashore.

Some More Things ABOUT
md the Seash0re'
! ncorresnondeuce OF the Richmond Disps,e"'
STRANGER MAGGIE, CHssApsAKs bAf'$
0fhAa0" April 9th, 1874.
..rhera are a few other things about Acco %
Ia a Wait I made to tile seaside, "
rrh;ch feel inclined TO tell as we Steam Wy
the bay. ,ooeontness.n the peo-
Mo of these counties were, OF course, en.n.
a pt off from the Confederacy, ana co.npssG,
10 under the iron rule OF their a.o,
n,any of the best citizens being SEM W p;e ~
and the people being compelled 10 su''i IA, ~
every species of pillage ana oulias nu'
many a noble fellow fouha n.s mat or,nv
the broad waters into the Conteoelate BILLY,
| and in no section was the1e s'o''~N
to the Confederate cause. 49,.
have been struck with the TACT tnat
| o,thorrb Accomac never received tne
si;obtast benefit from the internal improve
ment system (psrhaps it would be more ac-
c1rate to say ,10nt of SYSTEM, by when the
| 1aroar mart of the State debt was contracted,
cot the peopIe seem to be earnestly deslrous
~ having our Legislature quit Wrangilng
over ho,o not to pay, and ut once levy what
over taxes may be necessary to meet the IN
terest and provide for the payment OF the
last dollar of the indebtedness Of the State.
The labor system of the Eastern Shore
was as much disarrauged by the new order
Of things as perhaps any other section of the
State. Cuffee always preferred to go fishing
or oystering to hoeing corn or cutting
wheat, and now that be can consult bis own
sweet will in the premises, it is very difficult
TO yoke him to any consecutive labor IN a
section where he has only to walk few
hundred yards or row short distance to
find fish, oysters, crab, clam, &C., to his
hearts content. But the white people have
wisely adapted themselves to tho altered
condition of things. They cultivate less
area, have learned to work themselves. and
are bringing up their. children to work, de-
vote large part Of their farms to trucking,
and indulge Cuffee in his faYoritc pursuits
By employing good part of his time in fish
ing and oystering, which they MAKE very
profitable.
There are very large bodies Of small pine
trees in this county, and I was very much
interested in the value the skilfu! Iarlner puts
on pine tags, or shadows IS they call
them in this section. They are used in max
ing potato beds and in the cultivation OF
other vegetables, but are considered espe-
cially valuable for the manure pile. Indeed,
80 highly are they esteemed that they COM
mand ready sale, and their presence in large
quantities adds very materially to she value
OF q farm. 1850.
In other days the "castor bean" was Gull
tivated to a very considerable extent on this
Shore, almost every farmer having bis
{" patch" and was considered very profits
BILE but of late years it has been abandoned
because the medical fraternity pronounced
its cultivation the CAUSE Of chi.l5 Ind fcrcr$.
The bean is said to resemble ~ almond in
its taste, and amusing stories a-c told OF how
the children used to make themselves sick
by taking over-doses of the castor-0Il ii eat
ing freely of the beans.
Accomac has unlivaled facilities for hunt
ing and fishing. Partridges and other game
found elsewhere in Virginia are abundant,
red foxes are so numerous as to be very trou-
blesome Il heard of party who killed the
other day two old reds and ten young ones),
and duck and waterfowl of every descrip-
ton swarm on the waters, and afford tine
sport and no little profit to the sklful gum
ner.
Along the whole of the eastern side OF
"the Shore" there are ! series Of Islands
from three to five miles eff Of the coast. and
washed on their eastern side By the Atlantic.
The sounds and inlets between these islands
aud the mainland abound Ii usn, oysters,
wild fowl, &c. -.
By the kindness of friend was permit
ted to make delightful excursion to Cedar
island. Our party reached the shore of
" Wachta Prigue Broad Water" during
storm, and the experienced head OF the eX-
pedtion-our good friend Captain james
made us wait until the clouds cleared of and
the tide was favorable. This time was most
in, Of
the many things along the shore which tell
of the contiguity TO this great deep. Here
are the remains Of large vessel which was
wrecked on this coast some months ago, and
we were interested in seeing the great variety
of odds and ends which enter into the outfit
of one Of these large ocean ships.
A party of boys catching "wilk" (aspecies
of shelltish | had never seen before), and
their thorough acquaintance with every
thing pertaining to the water-some vessels
in the Sound taking oysters-the "panting"
OF oysters in part of the inlet staked off as
private property-the large number of boats
on the shore, owned by neighboring farm.
ers, and other things of the sort-interested
me. But / was particularly struck with a
large number of "decoy" ducks and geese
and description of the manner in which
they are used. The gunner gets in little
boat so constructed as to be but little above
the water, and after he has arranged his de-
COWS ("stools,s they call them) ut SUIT
able place, he covers his boat over with
brush and lies quietly in the, bottom.
The ducks flying over are attracted by the
"decoys," they gather around them, fire.
ouently in large numbers, and the gunner
bangs away from his covert. But the old
sportsman told Us that the ducks are of late
| becoming too smart for this trick. i.
But our boat--a regular long boat, with
sails as well rs oars-is soon launched, and
| it's pleasant party Of four men and four boys
| push out on the abroad Water" and IRE
soon making for Cedar island, five miles dis
tant. The scene was very enchanting, and
the sail made more attractive by the starting
of wild fowl the exploits of a fsh-hawk
taking his prey, and stories of field
and food ! told by our experienced
watermen. Our captain is a famous fisher.
man, and told Of one occasion upon which
he and three other men had, within twenty
four hours. taken with hook and line ttre,,ty-
nine bushels Of fish. Upon another occa-
sion hast summer the same party caught
t,centS -four bushels. 81. ..,-s.ss4.' ua.. -
The marshes skirting the Sound are full
of bird about the size Of pullet, called
the marsh hen. Their eggs, which are COL
lected by the half bushel, are highly priced,
and the birds are said to be equal to phea.
SAINT in flavor. One sportsman frequently
bags fifty or sixty in an hour or
two's shooting. And there are inn
mense focks of salt water birds which
they kill in large numbers and prize highly.
These birds resemble sora in that they come
and go in nighttime one knows from
| whence or whittier. Sora are entirely I'm.