The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-11

There is more comfort In cultivating
the soil than all other employments
created for human industry Plough
ing and planting, seed time and har-
vest, are the seasons when man feels
the nearest to his Creator, No slow
apathetic contentment is felt in spring
time, and no sad worry is felt in har-
vest seasons. So it must have been ap-
pointed to all men to live in harmony
with the soil There is never vain
Swallowing spirits of discomfort
and longing round the agriculturist
who understands his work The
meagre unappeased longing for more
is lost in the energy of restoring and
producing when midsummer puts on
the beauty of fast ripening fruit
grasses and grain.
| How all the vexation of pitiful, law
less passions disappear, the tlutter of
green leaves are like music, while the
rustling corn and ripening grain rise
on the evening breeze like prayers
| All! there is no life like a natural one
Fame is but a bubble that bursts at
the touch of misfortune, but the happy
agriculturist may go on planting his
acres, and nature always responds to
| his kindness and rewards the work of
honest hands.
Nature is steadfast There is no
| golden halo Of friction about the life of
a farmer, and no mean subterfuge can
be exchanged for honest labor The
| fields respond to kindly treatment and
show their want of care in one season.
| Certainly there can be nothing lost by
doing Justice to the fields and forests.
| This may be seen in the southern por-
tions of the country. In the vicinity of
the Chesapeake and Delaware. These
bays extend from the northern boun-
diaries in a southern direction, and the
agricultural outlook grows brighter as
we approach the central parts of the
states In the southern and western
quarters, among the highlands, there
are extensive swamps and those damp,
almost useless portions of the south
should be yitalzed in the most scienti-
fic manner, and the lower classes of
vegetation will give place to the higher
and more useful classes of trees.
Draining and other methods will be
used, and the muck and peat with 9th
err compounds of animal and vegetable
matter mixed with the sand of the sea,
and the clay soils of the highlands,
will in time fertilize the southern soils
and produce rich and bountiful har-
vests. The soil Is sandy, and some
parts of the state, especially around
the country of the Chesapeake Bay,
the soil consists of strong clay sub
stance and requires great amounts of
fertilizers further inland are large
tracts of rich clay loan of great fertii-
ity and strength for all kinds of vege-
tation, especially trees This may be
said of a great portion of the south.
The most beautiful crops of wheat,
corn, rye and all other grains and a
great variety of vegetables and escu-
Tents peculiar to the other Middle
States may be produced.
Fine grazing land afford rich pastur-
age to multitude of cattle, Horses
and mules, neat cattle of all kinds are
found in certain portions of the south.
The Delaware has along its banks
swampy tracts, yet 1t yields large
quantities OF timber; much of it is sent
to places in other states and the white
pine timber, with the live oak goes
north, south, east and west.
The Delaware river enters the bay OF
that name. The greater portion OF
forest lumber was taken away much
of it being used In the construction OF
cities and villages and the internal
improvements going on in that portion
of the country. The trees have beer
cut till the forests in those counties ly-
ing along the two rivers, though fine
are not old. In and through the Ches-
apeake and Delaware counties the for
ests still appear healthy and flourish
ing.
In 1929, when the Delaware anG
Chesapeake Canal was finished con-
Meeting Elk Creek with the Delaware
the forest trees were fine and the lum.
Der exceedingly valuable. Much of il
. was cut and the forests allowed tc
grow again. The railroad built anG
completed in 1892 made another de.
mand on the lumber of that section OF
the country. The railroad between
New Castle and Frenchtown, only
about sixteen miles, forms the line OF
travel between the Delaware and Ches-
apeake Bays. So did the great break
water erected by the general govern.
ment. This work was of great magni.
tude. The timbers used were found ir
the vicinity, as were the stones anC
other materials. I give this to account
for the forests being thin and otter
young in growth But along the Della
ware river, and along that portion Of
Pennsylvania which connects with the
, state of Delaware, may be found The
finest forest trees and the richest ant
most fruitful country on earth. The
| forest trees bear the looks of great age
and some of them, if they could speak
, would tell a tale of great changes il
nature as well as human conditions
; since the Revolution.
Going further south the soil in
creases in fertility Maryland ant
Virginia are states noted for tbs
productions of the soil and each one o
, hetm has been determined to out-dt
the other in their agricultural produc
tons. Trees have given place to or
chards and vineyards, cotton, tobacco
and large plantations where grass anC
grain are chiefly produced. Pennsyl
!. vania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
and the other southern states are re
covering from the conditions brough
on through the contending elements o
man created- warfare. Every thin!
that the soil produced from the fores
trees to blade of grass felt the inter
nal effects of the struggle. Fores
trees went down as if by magic TO
camps and camp fires, and every othe
mn do tI faaI