Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-12
THE PENINSULAR CANAAN.
Animals and Fruits in the Cherry
stone Region.

THE PENINsULAR CANAAN.
Grasses, Animals and Fruits in the Cherry
stone Region.
COUNTRY NOT ADAPTED TO THE DAIRY BUsI-
NEsS-sHEEP MIGHT BE PIoFITABLY RAISED
LAND RICH IN FRUIT-PEsTs THAT BOTHER
FRUIT GRowERs-FIGs AND THEIR POSSIBILITIES.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.
CHERRYsToNE, Va, Sept. 1891.
This is no dairy country and probably never
will be. 1t is not near enough to a large city
to make milk raising remunerative, and the
grasses (your composition in my last made me
say grapes) that thrive here not such as to
enable one to make butter in competition with
more northern climes In other words it will
not pay and the large majority of farmers and
truckers buy their butter at the stores.
There are but few fresh-water streams and the
profitable dairy grasses will not survive the hot
suns in this thin and light soil, and what Mr..
W. +. Massey of Raleigh n. c., says of the
south is pretty nearly true of this locality:
Permanent pasture in the south means either
Bermuda grass or broom straw (sedge or usu.
ally both, no matter what sort of mixture Of
seed be sown."
Hitherto this Bermuda grass, or AS it is called
in this section, wire grass has been considered
by the farmers as pest, something to be got
rid OF, but how?
There is absolutely no way to eradicate it ex-
cept by destroying The fertility of the SOIL and
some are beginning to find out that the best
thing to do with il Is to follow the course OF
Aunt Fountain prisoner and cultivate it. 1t
is OF low creeping habit, and has numerous
JOINTS from which wiry roots strike down and
blades shoot up. All animals prefer it to any
grass grown i'll the south.
The thin SOIL with an impermeable subsoil,
forbids the best growth of white clover. Red
clover is grown mainly for one cutting. par
TALLY dried for summer feeding Of horses and
then SUBSIDIZED. to be followed by corn the next
year. Japan clover has not yet been tried here
that l am aware Of. though for permanent
pasture it is admirably adapted to the south.
ANIMALS.
Cows are usually small and the small breeds,
such as the Jerseys, do best here because OF the
scant heritage. Cows are seldom fed except on
the refuse or surplus not to be otherwise more
probably employed. In consequence milk is
scarce in winter and more plentiful in summer.
These animals must prog for themselves both
in summer and winter, and experience shows
this to be the most profitable plan.
Horses are usually small and tough ana are
only shod for driving purposes. You rarely
see cracked hoof or sprung knee. Their en-
durance Is astonishing to Il stranger, but the
best blood hows in their veins
Chincoteague ponies are from the same orig
inal stock, more diminutive, however, from
in5reeding, but toughened by process OF nat
ural selection and exposure.
AS the country is fiat and level every one
goes on wheels and the roads require and re-
ceive but little attention. The clay thrown
from the bitches form the bed of the roads.
There are no stones here. not even a pebble.
SHEEP.
Our average farmer does not believe in the
adage, 1.-The foot of the sheep turns the land to
gold. Instead he has one of his own, ''Sheep
pizen the land" and he yet shares the senti-
ments of John Randolph, who is reported to
have said he would go mile to kick sheep.
Nevertheless l am convinced that this locality
has future for mutton sheep.
This is a land of peninsulas, many of which
can be fenced across the bases and SO exclude
the dog.
Where sheep have access to the salt marshes,
which prevail along all the water courses, they
are entirely free from the liver rot, and the
salt mud prevents the foot rot, which fresh
water mud induces
Water remains but little while on the pas
lures, there is no danger of foot rot from
that source. The author Of stewards Shep-
herds Manual says: 1.-The heritage of salt
marshes gives a peculiar flavor to the flesh OF
sheep fed upon it, which renders the mutton
very desirable in the markets" Again he says:
"a specially well-adapted locality is that COM
prsing the eastern peninsula of Virginia.
The absence of fresh-water streams is not
felt, as sheep drink but little water and the
heavy dews supply the deficiency.
The climate, modified by the presence OF
large bodies of water on either side, is so mild
as TO permit the pasturage of sheep nearly all
the year round, SO that they require but little
feeding. All that we need 70 make sheep rais-
ing profitable Is to get our people to think that
a sheep is more valuable than IA dog.
Sheep here. however. will not prove profit
able venture if raised i'll large focks. Fifty or
| sixty will do well in flock. but no more. The
best results obtained by crossing thorough
bred bucks with native ewes.
Pure bred Southdowns do not do well here
nor have any been successful i'll the attempt to
breed them.
Southdowns and Shropshiredowns bred to
native ewes produce the best suits, combining
| fine quality with hardihood, though it is said
that the Shropshircs being themselves the re-
suit OF Il cross are apt to breed the qualities of
the ewes rather than those OF the sires.
These native sheep are probably the remains
| crossed Indefinitely by other blood, of the
merino sheep introduced here ut an early
| period. Wool then was the principal consider
alton and when the consideration failed the
flocks were allowed to decline. No authentic
history remains. but their existence is marked
| by locality yet known to the older inhabitants
AS 'Merino," with the long.
| HOGS.
| The hog, the great American hog, never struck
me as a specially interesting study. l know
very little about him, except that he is boss of
| the road here. He takes his station in the
middle of the road, just as he does with you III
| the street seats. l recognize the self same
! hog here and there.
| 1t is not considered good form to drive over
! him; you must go around him or await his
pleasure to move, which he does when he is
ready, with grunt, still further characteristic
| OF your city hog.
STILL it is customary for every good farmer
| to raise his own hog meat, and hogs roam at
| WILL and outer fences must be horse high bull
| strong and pig-tight.
| FRUITS.
Some thirty years ago Washington got its
principal supply OF melons from the neighbor-
| hood Of Onancock. Their cultivation declined
u1der competition from the south and other
l localities aud now but few are raised for .cx-