Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1882-05-12

Prosperity Of our County "A cor
respondent of the Baltimore Sun, over the
signature Of "Rusticus," in a letter dated the
7th instant, pays the following deserved com
pliment to our people;
whether one passes through our county
by means of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road, metropolitan Road) or the extension
of the Seventh Street Road from Washing
ton, or leaving the Howard county line at
Browns bridge over the Patuxent, and pass
ing through Rockville, and thus reaches the
Potomac, the signs Of marked improvement
in lands, in fencing, in buildings, in orchards,
and in embellished lawns meet the eye every
mile you travel. Montgomery county is the
fourth in the list of wheat-growing counties
in the State. The present writer has lately
passed through the grazing portion OF the
county, in Medley's district, and from the
thriving village of GAINESVILLE through
Poolesville to Whites Ferry, and can see
for himself that it pays the farmer to fatten
the bullocks for the Baltimore and Wash
ington markets. One need but spend half
day on either side of Rock Greek, in the vi
cinage of Silver Spring or Bethesda, on the
Georgetown pike, within the short radius Of
seven or eight miles from Washington, to
see what change has taken place in the
condition of everything since the time when
the late Francis r. Blair purchased the Sill
yer Spring estate or the father of the Hon.
Joseph ii. Bradley was the hospitable pro-
prietor of the beautiful Chury Chase estate
Lime and the barnyard manure, gathered
on the estate or brought as back load from
the city, with judicious husbandry in the
systematic rotation of crops, must account in
f.t
The neghborhOod of Sandy Spring, the gar
den spot OF our county, the homes of the
Quaker or Friend population, in its smaller
but well-tiled farms, beautiful houses filled
with comfort and refined, cultivated people,
in its present condition presents sharp con-
trast between the now and then of that por-
ton of our county. The opening up of the
railroad, the good turnpikes, the salubrity Of
the climate, exempt from malaria, the fine
water, and the picturesque hill and dale
country, well drained, all these influences
have conspred TO bring about this remark
able change.
"But they have not done all. The spirit
of enterprise, the high estimate placed on
education, the well tested plan of protecting
the laborer from the demoralizing influence
of drink by local option, the establishment
and maintenance of farmers clubs, the coun-
ty agricultural society, and, in few cases,
the elevating power Of circulating libraries,
these also have done much. Some time ago
the writer, in conversation with two Of the
most intelligent gentlemen In the State, the
one highly distinguished in the church, the
other eminent as a lawyer, neither Of them
Montg0merians, took the position that with
in the past fifteen years this county had out
stripped any Of her sisters. Not that as
present, in any Of the elements Of wealth,
she is yet up TO the high standard of Frede-
rick, Washington or Baltimore county, but,
beginning u long way behind them, she has
improved more rapidly And suggest that
if you and are alive in 1892, we meet on
the 4th Of July at the Rocks OF Deer Creek,
in Hartford, or that very picturesque spot, at
the Great Falls of the Potomac, and look
carefully at the statistics Of Hartford, Frede-
rick, Washington, Baltimore counties and
this county in that year, 1897 and then
compare the figures with those Of 1889, and
see which is the banner county of the State,
which has most implicitly obeyed the injunc-
ton on Maryland's coat Of arms, "Grow and
multiply" You have faith in Baltimore
county; believe in the future Of Mont
gomery. What think you Of land selling
now for $500 an acre at Silver Spring
The future Of the northwest environment
Of Washington City is perhaps more fiat
tering than that of any other American
city.