The semi-weekly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1879-1882, 1881-11-14
Written for The News.
THE SHORE AND ITS PEOPLE.
J. B. H.

To an cup country man" on his
first visit to the shore the manners
aud customs Of the people seem some
what strange, and until he becomes
as one Of them 10 the community be
cannot hope to understand them. As
in the history Of some Of the coun-
tries of Europe, mountain range
was not only the civil boundary, but
also the separating line OF customs, so
the belt of timber known AZ the "Jer-
sey Pine" perhaps thirty miles 10
width-seems to divide the people Of
the Same county into classes different
in occupation and customs. Farm
ing, which is the forerunner Of ad-
vanced civilization and culture, is
as yet practically undeveloped 10 that
part of the county which is contigu-
Gus to the ocean. There are several
reasons for this, all Of which might
be remedied. In years that are past
there was occupation enough for the
laboring men in cutting the large tim
Der, to be loaded on vessels and sent
away in the form Of vessel timbers,
~ p y
chafcoal and wood for the New York
market. As the wood supply began
to fail, they commenced to work In
the bay as oystermen and fishermen.
II is only within the last twenty
years that oysters have been planted
to any considerable extent in Great
Bay, while now it forms one Of the
most important and lucrative indus
tries of the people, the quality of the
oysters being surpassed by none in
the United States. The farmer finds
difficulty in getting any "daily hands"
to work for him, az life in the bay
with the oyster tongs or the fishing
line is much more congenial and prof.
liable to the shoreman. Very many
of the men Ego by water" and the
boys seem to inherit q fondness for
life on the ocean, which as they grow
into manhood is shown by the way
they take to the water, often times,
indeed usually, against the advice of
their parents. The thoughts Of the
people have not as yet--wilh . few
notable exceptions--been turned 90
the necessity Of cultivatiug the land.
The soil, much Of it, is naturally good
and the opportunities for getting fer
tilizers at a nominal price is unsur-
passed, IS thesbay mud and mussels
(mytii4s edalis) can be procured 10
almost inexhaustible supp'iss,and they
are not only beneficial to the immedi-
ate crop, but have permanent effect
on the fertility Of the soil. In one
respect the shore farmer has an ad-
vantage over the cup country man. y
His crop of hay is practically always
sure, and he has nothing to do but to
90 to his meadows and gather it at
the proper season. The fertilizing
and moistening, SO necessary to scrop
Of grass, is attended to by the over
flowing tides of the river, while the
quality of the hay (black grass, which
belongsto the rush family for keep
ing horses, COWS and sheep in good
condition, is scarcely surpassed by
the best clover hay. @k91
An ordinary farm on the shore will
not have in it more than fifty or sixty
acres under cultivation, this fact to-
gether with the myriads Of flies and
mosquitoes during the summer, is M.
favorable to the successful raising oil
fine stock. In after years when some
of the land which is now covered with
a growth of small oaks, shall be
cleared and put under cultivation, SC
that the farmer may turn his stock