The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-11-30

meht oi pine lumber then reached TWEEN
~ seven million feet, of which Salisbury
shipped eighteen million Besides the pine.
hard woods found their way to market,
some of this going To California and Europe.
While some attention has been directed
To sheep raising this industry has not been
made as profitable as it might, especially
in view Of the facilities for manufacturing
the wool At home. At present there is but
single mill, situated near Millington, in
Queen Anne county. This mill was estab-
iished in 1852 by the brothers Mallalieu.
two practical English wool spinners. and
has steadily improved until it has reached
capacity of eighty thousand wards of
goods per year. The product is in kerseys,
blanket>' hanncis, cassimeres aud yarn. and
bears high reputation all over the couu.
try. The consumption of wool is about
one hundred and ten thousand pounds per
annun.
Enough has now been said to show the
character, condition and resources of thi.
peninsula, which Is attracting attention in
many parts Of the world, and becoming the
home OF people of almost every language
and nation. In evidence that this is not a
wild assertion il may b. stated that settle
ments of Welsh. Germans and Swedes have
been made in several localities. while not a
few Frcnchmen have found their way to
L., Fall,
county there ATE two very active land agen
cirs, and at a recent session of the county
court it appeared in the course of one case
that the advertising pamphlet of one agent
had been translated into Welsh and widely
circulated, while the evidence in second
case showed that the defendant had been
attracted from his home in Scotland by tn.
pamphlets Of the other agent circulated in
that country.
Thickly settled and we'll titled, small in
area and near the centers of trade and popu
laton of the Atlantic coast. it might well
ne supposed that the wild life of the woods
aud the ~ would have long since dsap,
pcared. And yet boru he sportsman and
the naturalist will find here ample fleiidtls for
lndulgng their respective tastes. Large
game. as the deer and turkey. has entirely
disappeared, owing TO the restricted range
which has been left to it, yet the trade in
inferior grades Of fur is 10y no means incon-
siderable y single firm near the Della
ware line sold last year over seventy thou
sand dollars worth of skins. The fox,
both red and gray, the raccoon and the
opossun, are found in scarcely diminished
numbers. The squirrel frolics among the
hickory groves and gum swamps, and the
rabbit harbors in every brier patch and
raids upon the lettuce beds Of the town
gardens. The otter still haunts the I'D i'll
streams, aud the mink and muskrat abound
in every water course. The four striped
ground squirrel aud the woodchuck ar. the
only wild animals which do not Seem to
increase in number. With the Joss of
wealth among the gentlemen farmers aud
the increase Of sheep husbiudry the large
packs of hounds once common III every
locality have disappeared, aud reynard has
1t all his own way. The muskrat seems to-
be 1.-The tftest,' from his :. survival tri.
umphIng over every method of wholesale
destruction. These animals are shot and
dug from their houses" crushed by dead
falls and caught by steel traps. but tn.
largest number is destroyed by the CHOKE
snare Hundreds of these rude but eff-c-
tive CuntiIvances are to Ice seen along the
banks of all the creeks which wind among
the marshes ali over the Shore 4 strong,
spring pole IL firmly set III the onzy ground,
furnished at its tapcring end with n TRAN
gular moose, kept open by means of light
stick. The pole is bent down so As To
bring the moose over the mouth of the ..rai
pipe" iust below the water line, and fast
eued there by slight trigger, which the
animal displaces upon entering or emery
ing from his hole, the consequence being
inevitable death by srraneulation. Thou
sands are thus Tiled every year, their skins
forming the largest proportion Of the furs
above mentioned, and yet their numbers
show no signs ri dIminution. When young
and fat they are esteemed 4 delicacy, not
only by the poor man, but by many "a gour-
maHd whose bill of fare embraces the can.
vas back and teirapin.
In bird life this favored region is espe-
cially rich. The writer of this paper has
himself. with somewhat limited opportuni-
ties for observation, identified one hundred
and eighty six species, including those
which frequent the waters OF the bay
Game birds, though limited in variety, are
yet sufficiently abundant To offer rare in
JUDGEMENTS to the sportsman. The black
duck and mallaId, the summer duck. CAD
wal, pintail and other marsh fowl, afford
good shooting over decoys upon nearly all
the inland creeks. The woodcock haunts
the meadows and swamp woodlands, and 4
fair bag may he made 10y one who has little
regard for the scorching July sun. The
little partridge enormously known as the
quail in more northern ATTITUDES makes
fine sport from November to January, when
the protective care of the game laws is with
drawn. The stranger cannot fail to be struck
with establishment 10y the number Of setter
dogs which he sees in the streets of every
town. leaving the impression-whichi is not
far from the truth-that every other man
At least INDUCES in the manly and health
full recreation of partridge shooting. The
CHEEKY pipe of this fine bird is heard from
every stuuble field, and the whir of his
concave wings startles the dreamy traveller
who drives along the roads. The numbers
have greatly decreased. however, since the
introduction of reapers and moving ma
chimes, which destroy many nests and
mother birds. The waving wheat fields
and the dense growth of the clover offer
most attractive brooding places, and little
damage was done 10y the sweep Of the
scythe and cradle, which cut high and left
a tall, irregular stubble. But the low
"set " of the harvesting machines almost
scrapes the ground. and | have known as
many as seven nests of eggs crushed in a
single field, the old bird, covering clnsely