Year: 1879

DOWN THE OHEsAPEAKE.


Farming ~ i'm the Days Of Ysre-


Determins Of tine white noo-


pIe-st. Msry's Inhabitants nd


Their Superior Intellectual Aeal-
ity. ~ reag
Correspondence Of the Republican. 9ft


ST. MARY's COUNTY, Nd,


August 9th, 1879. 4


A short time ago the writer took pas
sage on the elegant steamer "Sue"
Quilt by the Harlan & Hollingsworth
Co., Of your city, for trip down the
Chesapeake to the good old County Of
St. Mary, Maryland. We left Baltimore
at s O'Clock, P. M, and after delight
tul ride and refreshing nights sleep
reached Bacon's wharf Con the St.
Mary's River) at 4 O'Clock, "A. M, feeling
much better for our nights ride on the
bay. st. Mary's is the oldest county
in the State and the farthest behind
in every thing apparently in farming.
1t would be worth the moaey expended
for the trip for northern man to go
down there and see some Of the old
fashioned ways Of farming.


There has been little or no machine
~ introduced there for making farming
easy, and think if an agent Of any
kind were to 60 there with one Of his
patent self. binding reapers he wonld be
driven out Of the place by the colored
people, as harvesting down there is the
one great event Of their lives. As the
cradIsrs are there paid &l.50 per day,
and the binders 81 per day, when they
got but SO cents per day for any other
work for men, or IS cents for women
or when they hire by the month, $S TO
$40 for men and % to Is for women.
The labor here is all done by colored
people, and they are the happiest peo-
ple Imaginable. You never hear sin
Gle complaint about being worked hard
or poorly paid. All they require is
plenty to eat, little house and lot,
and in every case they must have a pig.


We have said enough about the COL
orsd people. and will now turn our at
tention to the whites. Before the war,
the white population Of St. Mary's Co.,
was noted as being the best old families
and the most intelligent people Of any
county in the State, and even to-day If
man from any other State goes there,
his pedigree must be thoroughly known
before he will be taken hold Of by the
better class. They stand a great deal
on their blood and are consequently poor
You may take the county from Point-
Look Out to the head Of St. Clements
bay and yon will not find dozen men
worth SIS, 900 piece.


The soil in some parts OF the county
is excellent whilst in others it is as poor
as can be, simply because 1t has been
allowed to 60 down.


Although St. Mary's is behind in
farming, she is equal to any in great
men, for she sent two as great and good
men as ever graced the Halls Of Con-
gress. l refer to the Hons. B. G.. Har-
ris and H. s. G.. Key. st. Mary's is
also noted for her good schools. st.
Mary's seminary for young ladies, sit
uated on the St. Mary's river, is one OF
the best schools in the State, and when
young lady leaves her walls to COM
mence life, she is fitted to take a posi-
ton in any branch Of life. The other
school is Charlotte Hall, Tor young men,
thorough collegiate school from which
most of the best men of the county have
received their education. ST. Mary's
is also noted for her watering places,
Point Lookout and Piney Point. Be
fore the war these places were known
far and near and were resorted to by
the very first people Of Balto., Washing
ton, Richmond and even Phila. and
New York. During the war they were
completely broken up by the Federal
soldiers and since that time have been
struggling hard to regain tieir former
positions and are slowly doing 1t.


Although St. Mary's is now very
much reduced she was not always So,
and think if some OF our Northern
men would 60 down there they could
buy land at their own price and would
in every case be paid for their expert
ment, as all those who have tried it
have succeeded. There is no better
place in the world to live. A man can
live out of the water both winter and
summer. In the winter time you can
have sill the oysters and wild ducks
YOU may wish, and in the summer just
as many fish and crabs for the asking.
St. Mary's abounds in little creeks and
rivers and no one need be without
these things who ,s not too lazy to take
them out Of the water. The one great
thing needed is a railroad, and | think
if the Southern Maryland could be COM
pleted it would attract outsiders and
add greatly to the interest OF the
county.


They long and look for it to be done,
az the farmers could then get their
grain and produce into the market IN
half the time and at less expense. There
is daily communication with Washing
ton and. Baltimore, by water, but they
charge extravagantly for both passage
and freight. The principal crops are
corn, wheat and tobacco. The latter is
the most profitable crop. The farmers
unfortunately do not pay attention 10
grass as they should. They will DO
Glad to have outsiders come and settle
among them as there is plenty of land
laying idle that can Dc pougns III q
song. % "'


.sCock Of the WALK"


The Philadelphia Enquirer of Mon
day last says: "Wilmington, the com
mercial metropolis of Delaware, was
for some years strongly Republican.
The party lost its hold after the war,
but the genial and courteous Frank M
Vincsnt has twice been elected City
Treasurer, and third term is generally
| SO tho nnIv KAnll DE-