Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-03-26
From Maryland.

Mr.. George Haywood, formerly of Brattle-
boro, and now living at Easton, Maryland,
writes to friends here, under date Of March G,
expressing his satisfaction in the country and
people there, and enclosing the following
paragraph from local paper, every word
of which, he says, ''is true :"
Much of our soil is highly improved,
growing twelve, fifteen twenty and some even
more wheat than that for one seeding, and
forty or fifty bushels Of corn to the acre and
some more.-But of course there is other
land in our county that would not produce half
the above quantities. Our climate is mild and
especially has it been so the present season.
Our market is supplied with lettuce and rad
ishes raised in the open air, while some va
rieties of flowers have been in blossom and
much of our wheat stands from to 10 inch
es high. While speaking of our soil, it re-
minds us Of letter that was shown us few
days ago from Michigan. 1t spoke Of man
who professed to have been in Maryland and
was using his utmost to prevent persons in
that State from migrating to this. He said
that Maryland was a sand bank, and it took
more fertilizer to make sufficient grain to sup
port a family than the ground was worth.
That the people were ragged thin and horri-
ble to behold. The letter did not say wheth-
er the author of such misrepresentation had
escaped from a lunstic asylum or not, but at
any rate we would like to have his photograph
to see what sort Of looking being he is We
would inform this gentleman that it would
not be necessary to go beyond the limits OF
Easton, to find three of one family that would
pull down the scales at about $50 pounds.
How is that for skeletons That fellow must
have been employed on an oyster dredger
and cast ashore on some sand reef and there
formed an opinion of the balance of Mary
land. Our country is dotted with school
houses, churches, and especially in this coun-
ty besides a railroad there is no farm from
navigable water more than six miles, while
many are only few hundred yards distant.
Our roads are level and except a short time in
winter cannot be surpassed for their smooth
ness Of surface. In this county there is very
little sandy land, and having a good sub-soil
retains for long time whatever manure that
may be applied and grass can be grown as
easily as grain. 1t would be very remarkable
indeed, if Maryland did not possess some land
within her borders that presented an insight
ly appearance, but if those who desire to
come to Maryland will first stop at Easton,
take general survey of its surroundings and
60 TO st. Michaels and Oxford and do like
wise, and then if they pronounce our county
a barren waste and leave it without giving
evidence of their admiration of its ad-
vantages, we shall have nothing more TO
say upon the subject. We have never yet
known man to settle in Talbot, if he was in
dustrious, sober and adopted our process Of
cultivating the soil, that did not do well.
The trouble with a great many settlers has
been, that they come to Maryland with only
few hundred dollars, they buy land, pay but
little on it and give mortgage to secure the
balance. They pursued the same course of
cultivation they practiced in billy land or
land filled with rocks, consequently poor
crops were raised and in few years the in
terest on the debt swallowed up all that had
been paid and the property sold by Trustee.
There would be like result in any other
kind of business under the same circumstan-
ces Those living North and knowing moth
ing of Maryland must not expect to find gold
and silver pouring into their laps without la
Dor, they must not expect to find every foot
of land beautiful to the eye nor every acre in
a high state of cultivation but they will find
a mild climate, plenty of fruit, land easily
cultivated and the soil generally very produc-
tive and to possess comforts but few sections
of country can afford"