The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-02-25
Sketches from Southern Maryland.

Under the above heading, the follow
ing was written by Joseph E. Wing for
the Breeders Gazette:
Nine years ago visited what is known
as Southern Maryland. 1t is the region
south of Washington and Baltimore and
west of the Chesapeake Bay. When
first visited this region there was not
telegraph line or telephone in several
of the counties, nor road apart from
cart tracks through the forests. Yet
here was the first settlement of Mary
land, away back in the 18th century.
Good people settled there too and their
descendants are there today. They are
yet among the best people that l have
seen, intelligent, kindly, courteous, US
ually with good education and breeding.
And yet their county. nine years ago,
was given over to scrub pine forests;
their villages were falling into sad de-
cay, and the whole country seemed hope
less.
have not time to tell all the reasons.
In part it was because they grew to-
bacco for their main crop. Tobacco
monopolizes ones drought and time to
so large degree that one forgets, or
has no time for general farming. Also
a small tobacco patch will absorb all the
scantly farm manures. Tobacco was
then at very low price. Curiously
enough, the country began to improve
lust while tobacco was cheapest, may
be because men began then to plant
other things, keep sheep, grow fruits
and so on.
Now 1 return from a trip through
each county, Prince George, Charles,
St. Mary's, Calvert and Anne Arundel,
and the report bring is most cheer
ing one. True some sections are I'M
touched by progress but as a whole the
country has advanced wonderfully.
Nine years ago 1 preached alfalfa
growing. Today it is grown in every
county, not largely as yet, but thriftily
successfully, profitably everywhere
that men have listened and needed
counsel and sowed it on we'll drained
land with much lining and some feed
ing. There are many thousands of
acres that would grow excellent alfalfa
if the owners could get lime easily
enough. Unluckily vast reaches of
country are yet without railways and
unluckily Maryland lime burners and
grinders have not yet grasped their OPP
port1nity, have not yet reduced prices
enough to let farmers use it as largely
as they ought. Yesterday l walked
over the alfalfa fields of Wayne Mac
Veagh. His old alfalfa is luxuriant in
growth, beautiful to see. His new
sown alfalfa is lovely, the young plants
laden with nodules on their roots. Mr..
MacVeagh buys ground limestone for
81. Is per ton at his station. He puts
on think eight tons of it to the acre.
The result is glorious alfalfa. OF
course he also feeds the alfalfa with
PHOSPHORUS, and he manures the land
For a preceding crop.
Now when Maryland limestone own
ers awaken to their opportunities and
the needs of all of Maryland, for there
is hardly an acre that is not in need OF
Timing, and make the stuff cheaply
enough so that the farmers can afford
to use it by the million tons, then the
real reclamation of Maryland will begin.
Already men are doing much. Along
the Potomac there are banks of oyster
shells that can be crushed or burned
This is being done, too, and here alfalfa
growing, corn growing, sheep, pigs and
all that follow are superseding, or help
ing out tobacco farming.
Quaint old Calvert county shows most
Improvement. It was constant de-
light to drive through the county, and
see the newly painted homes, the order
ly fields, the really good corn, and the
occasional meadows, Once people be-
lieved that they could not grow grass
at all unless it was Bermuda grass,
which is not of great value SO far north.
The farmers institute brought know
ledge of crimson clover that, sown in
corn or tobacco in the fall, brought
humus and nitrogen for turning under.
Following the institute advice again,
Tom Turner, who keeps a hotel at
Prince Frederick, tried to establish a
meadow. He had bought tract of
second growth pine land, sandy, billy,
rough. He cut off the trees, plowed,
lined, turned under cow peas and Grim
son clover, put on bone meal and may
be potash, sowed red clover and tim
othy. Of course it succeeded wonder
fully. He sowed alfalfa. That also
| made startling success. He had paid
| 81 per acre for the land. He cut four
tons of alfalfa hay off of it. That
shows what can can be done with the
land, but very little can be done with,
! out lime and humus. Humus seems
best made by turning under crimson
| clover.
And now they are working to improve
their roads. Fortunately, much can be
done by putting clay on the sandy spots
and sand on the elayey spots, and there
is gravel near by, as rule. The state
of Maryland is stepping in, too, ane
building long stretches Of roads at $40,
600 mile through the counties, ship