The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-03-10
CeciltOn Items.

CECILTON, March Sth, 1888
| NJ. kditor: i wish to tell the readers OF
your valuable paper how the First district
has improved since 1850 when ] settled in
it. Then land was very poor here generally.
Mr.. Joseph NJ. Eidrdge came from Phila-
delphia, and bought farm of 800 acres in
| Grove Neck. He set about improving it
with LINE and clover. Next came James
Cassiday, who was grain merchant in the
sane city. He bought 600 acres, and planted
large peach orchards, which were known all
over the country. General Foreman on the
| Rose Hill farm now owned by Andrew
Woodall had some fine land, and devoted
his time ANA attention TO cultivating fruit
| and nut bearing trees. Thomas " Ward
also had some good land, but generally the
land was poor, and not worth more than ten
dollars an acre. John Hayes had small
farm in Pond Neck which he sold to Col. j.
G. Groome, and bought the farm where
William H. Emerson died In 1852 Mr.
Hayes planted Is acres in corn He put out
| two cart loads of manure. and when he
gathered his crop he had only one cart load
of corn. The same land will yield now so
bushels to the acre. The next farm was the
one Joseph Megill bought of the Erherington
estate. He hired man to farm it, and
used four horses. He planted 80 acres in
corn, and when he gathered his crop he had
less than 200 bushels. 1t was SO all around
the neighborhood, the laud being very poor,
and the people were as poor as the land
1t was good country for constables to
thrive in. Ii farmer got in debt ne couldn't
pay, and would have to be sued for very
small number of dollars. The buildings
were in keeping with the land. and the i'm
provements generally poor. The farmers
topped and oladeu the corn, and the cattle
got their food from the stalks which stood
i'll the fields all winter. The only shelter
the cattle had was when a fall of snow
would freeze on their backs, which would
keep them warm CD till it melted Off II
crows heads had been in demand in those
days as they are at present, money could
have been made by killing them. Gates
Were then the fashion on the public high
ways. There was gate at the beginning
and at the end of every mans farm. Car
riages were very scarce. There were only
four i'll my neigh borhood. Now hat
change. The gates were all removed in
1858. Hedges have been planted along the
highways, and they line both sides of the
road from Grove Neck to Middletowp, a
distance of 20 miles. The houses and barns
haveimproved accordingly, and comfortable
outbuidings now protect the cattle in the
winter. AS for carriages they can be
counted by scores and hundreds. Every
boy when he gets big must have a carriage
to drive his bes5 girl out. Grain is very low
i'll price now, but farmers are much better
off IN these days, than they We're " hen they
only raised ten bushels to the acre, and
dence of our improvement is, that We don't
get so many friendly visits from the sheriff
and constable as We used to get in old times
Then we raised on the average not over
10 bushels OF corn to the acre, now we raise
40 to 50,;.nd some over 10 bushels to the acre
A SOCIAL PARTY.
On Tuesday night number Of her neigh
borS and friends met at the house of Mrs
Annie Vansant, widow of the late George
K. Vansant, and took with hem many USE
ful articles as presents, i'll The way of meats,
vegetables, flour, dry goods and groceries
The widow was very grateful for this kind
rememb rauce SO substantially express ed.
ILLNESS.
The many friends of Mr.. las. w. Veazey
will he sorry to hear of bis illness with the
rheumatic gut, at the home of bis sister,
Mrs. Ann. L. Wills at Earlevile. NJ.