Year: 1865

Maryland-The Zeal Of the Freed Negroes


to School their Childfen-The Climate oil


the Eastern Shore-Its Effect on w heat


Growing there-Steck Raising in that


Section, &C, &c.


ON THE CHoPTANK,


Dorchester County, Nd, Feb. /, 1861


Among the noteworthy results Of emancipa.


tion in this State SO far developed, is the man


Hesitation OF great and generally diffused ca


gerness on the part OF the negroes to have their


children to learn to read and write. They


carry this disposition to such an extent in this


eastern Shere) section, as to attract the atten-


tion OF all. Their schools, which are being


improvised In considerable numbers, are


taught by their own class, are wholly at their


own cost, and will doubtless speedily lay the


foundation of far higher intelligence in The


race here than characteriZes the Maryland


grown negroes Of to. day. do not eXaggerate


in saying that, SO far, they evince more inter-


est in this important subject than do the mass


Of Maryland's citizens (white) in pushing on


the work Of improving their common school


system, which is one Of the leading features of


the new constitution; feature from which the


community will derive as much benefit as


from the adjustment OF uneompensated labor.


1t cannet be long ere the people at large will


awaken to & realization OF the advantages for





school system, to the initiation Of which Gov.


Bradford gave most of his time anu attention


from the date Of the adoption OF the new con-


stitution to the recent Inauguration Of his sue.
cessor, Gov Swan, who having, as Mayor OF


Baltimore, been the chief promoter Of that
city's admirable system OF public schools, will
doubtless do as much for the future OF the State
in that connection as he is admitted by all TO
have done up to this time for the city. Idwelf
upon this subject If but for the information OF
the hundreds OF thousands of enterprsing per-
sons who already contemplate emigrsting to
Free Mary yland. The advent OF large influx
OF free labor from the North, where it is noto.
rIously as general thing far better skilled and
more intelligent than labor in any slave State,
WILL happily. do much to awaken the commn-
nifty of Maryland to the importance of push.
ing on the good work of free popular education
with liberal and energetic hand


cannot better illustrate the general differ
ence between the climate Of the Eastern Shore
and that of similar ATTITUDES elsewhere in the
United States, than by mentioning the fact
that here, we have had but two days sleighing
this winter, up to date Though everything is
frozen up, and has been for three weeks past it
rarely happens that snow lays on the ground
son The Shore" over three OF tour days at g.
time at most. The ice we put in our ice
houses, is hardly ever n.ere than three or four
inches thick. Our working spring opens at
least fortnight earlier than on the other side
OF the bay, and our working fall lasts usually
fortnight or SO longer. This difference Of
we'll nigh a month in the length of "groWing
season" is OF incalculable advantage TO the
farmers of ''Ths Shore and accounts in great
part for the comparatively slight winter.
killing Of wheat which takes place here, not.
withstanding the almost entire neglect of thor.
ough drainage that characterlZes the hus bandry
Of the section OF which 1 here write-the
counties of Caroline, dorchester, Worcester
and Somerset. The proximity of the Gulf
stream doubtless has much to do with softentp~
our climate in the winter. / question whether
there is spot OF land in either of these four
counties fifty feet higher than the level OF the
ocean and bay, lin which they are almost
entirely inclosed,) } at mean tide. In the county
of Dorchester, believe there is no hill on an Y
road higher than twelve feet above the bottom
Of the stream that lays at it's base. Upon The
salt water shores-of rivers and bays-the ele.
vaton of the land is rarely as much as seven
feet above high tide; much more frequently,
but from two and half to four feet ample for
efficient and economical drainage. But for the
greater length OF HThe Shores" growing sea.
son, and the influence of winds from the g ulf
Stream, instead of being an unsurpassed
region for the production Of wheat as IL GER
tainly is, the failure to thoroughly drain which
is SO common here, would make the crop too
precarious to be cultivated with any reasonable
hope OF profit whenever population shall
be injected among us who will resort to
thorough under draining with tiles-by far the
theapest-and other appliances, it seems to
| me that the production OF wheat on .The
Shore's' wheat lands must be enormous, be-
yond the conception of American wheat grow
ers elsewhere. Up to this time the insect and
other enemies of that important crop On The
Shore" are far fewer than elsewhere in SINH
lar latitudes around US. Joint worm is hardly
known in either of the four counties named
above. have never seen single stalk affect.
ed by it in Dorchester. Wherever the land is
ever half drained and properly manured,
neither the fall nor spring fly does any damage
to speak Of Draining and manuring thus ena-
bles "The Shores wheat grower to SOW late


so as to escape the fall fly, and yet get his crop


so started or grown by the spring as to place it
beyond danger from the fly Of that season,
which cuts wheat short everywhere unless
care shall have been taken to push i. ahead by
due fertilization and drainage. 1 know more
than one farmer in Dorchester, who being far
ahead Of his neighbors in the use of an.
proved methods and modes, gathers year after
year an average OF thirty bushels of wheat. at
vastly less expense of fertilization and labor
than 1t costs to get Pennsylvania average
yield of some seventeen bushels per acre. The
climate OF The Shore' has most to do with
this easy success here as explained above;and.
indeed, in another most important particular,
which may not neglectto mention. Between
the Ocean on the east and the Chesapeake Bay
on the west it rarely happens thattwenty -four
hours pass in mid. summer even, during which
stiff breeze from some quarter fails to sweep
entirely across "The Shores" narrow breadth.


Thus rust, that inexorable destroyer of the
wheat crop elsewhere, after the farmer has ear.


red it safely through its host ofenemies so often


rendering his labors abortive earlier in the sea.


son, rarely does damage to speak of here. l
believe that it is now conceded by all intelli-
gent farmers that rust never does damage when