Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-06-23
LIFE IN A LEVEL LAND.

BERRIES AMI 0lhh W DEhHA
PEA TRADE--TRAvELLIN ON THE
SHORE FAST HOKsEs-GOOD PEOPLE
uIaH LIytNG--FIsHING AND BIRD
kGGING.
&C., &C., &C'
rCorrespondence of the Staunton VINDIcAToR
ONANCOCK, ACCOMACK, VA,
June 18th, 1882.
Zone half of the world does not know
how the other half lives" Nothing is 80
true and you may with just rs much truth
trim great deal closer and say one nall
of old Virginia doesn't know how the OH
er half lives. A Valley man can not better
realize this than by visit to the Eastern
Shore and lie will after very brief So
iourn here come to the conclusion that the
half which live here know deal more
about what good living means than the
other half, wherever you may locate them.
Here everything is different, the face OF
the country, the water, the air. tie peo-
pie, the names, the crops, the stock, the
vehicles, the houses, the housekeeping. the
feeding, everything, and were it not for
politics. readjustment and coalition you
would not realize that you were Virgin
i'm in Virginia,
The counties Of Accomac and North
ampton, constituting the Eastern Shore.
almost surrounded by salt water, the beau
tiful Chesapeake Bay on one side and the
blue sea on the other, are as level rs ne
race-track at the Augusta Fair Grounds.
and gradual little rise Of ten feet OF 81
on what is called the seaside road
known far and near as the Red Hill, IL
considered quite heavy pull for good
team AS consequence of the good roads,
everybody drives in vehicle of some sort.
carriage, buggy, wagon or cart. l had
been here two weeks and saw only two men
on horseback, and one of them was boy
on q mule!
THE HORSES AND ROADS.
The horses are nearly all blooded stock
and fast. and everybody goes in rafting
trot, as if they were trying the speed of
their horses. The roads are so good one
horse can pull as much as you can put on
an ordinary vehicle, and you may travel
for days without seeing twO-hOrse con-
veyance. They call their buggies, carria-
ges, if they have tops, and whole family,
[ have seen seven, often 60 in oDe-hOrse
cart. saw yesterday little nule pulling
on two wheels, large frame piled with
empty barrels as high as small house.
counted them for curiosity, and found
there were fifty. They average IL pounds
apiece or 600 pounds, and little ten year
old negro boy was standing up In the front
one as driver, his head just sticking out at
the top. He was off on quite trip, from
Onancock to the interi or, for Irish pota-
toes, and he and the 10 ule seemed to be
perfectly equal to the job they had in
hand. As a result of this one-hOrse mode
of travel, the middle of the road wherever
you 60, presents the singular appearance
OF having been shovelled out, leaving mar
row, deepish track, and the horse always
sticks to it, needing but little guidance.
The horses, have said are fine travel
lsrs, and some of the negroes with their
carts, drive trotters that would astonish
an Augusta farmer. The favOrite breeds
are the Morgan, the Sam Bell and the
Sadie Bell. the last has national reputa-
ton as racer, and on sail along the
Atlantic coast the other day, l passed a
little islet called Revels Island, where
Sadie was raised. Her honored sire
bore the name of Toodlss, and his
memory is cherished by horsemen here
abouts.
The Augusta farmers would call crop.
ping here, vegetable gardening. In two
weeks travel do not recollect to have
seen but four fields of wheat and not one
of them more than eight or ten acres. A
good deal of corn is raised and very few
oats, but the money comes from straWber-
ries, peas, beets, asparagus. onions, tur-
nips, cabbage, Irish and sweet potatoes
The last is the main crop. Irish or
Had horA
are quite remunerative, but
SWEET POTATOES
are the surest and the money crop Of the
peninsula, and on them the farmer be he
small or large, puts out his main efforts.
The hot beds, where the plants are raised,
may be seen on every place. many OF them
as large as an Augusta cattle shed tho
not as high and all covered with glass
threatens, and even now that the crop is
pretty much planted these beds are green
with hundreds, yes millions, of plants not
used. An acre will plant from 5000 to
5000 hills and thirty barrels is a good yield.
Six acres is good planting though many
farmers plant larger crops, and for some
weeks after the trade opens they bring
from SIS to So per barrel. The writer
walked over well known gentlsman's
truck farm of IL acres the other day.. He
is generally quite successful and il his
crop of potatoes turns out as we'll as have
his strawberries, beets and peas he will
clear 81 600 or 1900 from the twelve
acres, "A farmer in Accomac last season
cleared 81 200 from 10 acres OF sweet pota-
toes. about 80, 600 hills. and another who
struck the market lust right sold the crop
OF Is acres for nearly So .00O. An Augusta
farmer would have to cultivate many
broad acres in wheat to realize such re-
-
ihh ooMIAiliioN
TOR this potato trade Is very lively between
Baltimore, New I ork and Norfolk. Bal
tlmore has three steamers and a number
OF sailing vessels in the trade and they
carry from this one point 5000 barrels per
week IN the height OF the season. Several
large schoouers nave Deen running on tne