Year: 1874




providing always that the day is fine and
your team good; and in trip from Elkton
to the Northern limits Of the county, even
to the Susquehanna hills" one passes
through variety of country. Adjacent
to- and north of Elkton, till Bay View is
reached, the road is none of the smoothest
and rather too hilly to be properly termed
undulating. The land generally is OF u
thin soil requiring quite too much coaxing
to be profitable, save in some noteworthy
exceptions The farms of Mr.. t. V. Rose
and Thos. Terry, this side of Bay View,
are cases in point, showing what labor
directed by Judgment will accomplish
The farm of Mr.. Z. 3. Passmore, short
distance this side of College Green, is
dairy farm, aud the large fields COW
cred with rich grasses, give the place q
luxurious and pleasant appearance, which
contrasts favorably with the grain farms,
with their bare and uncouth plowed fields.
We noticed also among the rich grass
fields, one of magnificent wheat, which
was rank and darkly green, with no "galls'
and their yellow spots visible, which mar
the appearance Of 50 many wheat fields on
farms mainly devoted to the raising of
grain. Grass and stock raising always
insure the farmer heavy crop Of wheat
or corn on the land he may devote to till
age III those crops. AS the belt of coun-
try is reached which stretches from east of
the B. NJ. House to the Rising Sun, extend
ing to Port Deposit, great change is per-
ceptiblc in the clean and tidy habits of the
farmers; and the productive capacity of
the land seems to be in exact ratio to the
care bestowed on everything about the
premises.


Many farmers were busy getting their
corn-ground in order, with the harrow, and
a few had not finished plowing, while the
corn in some fields was up, but looked yel-
low and sickly. When the billy country
of the Octoraro is reached an entirely diff
ferent soil appears. The hickory, yellow
poplar and black oak are seen in the woods.
and the dark sandy loan. gray stone soil





ton. This soil is perhaps naturally the
most fertile and productive in the county,
but considerably broken with much rocky,
rough land. This is particularly fine
grass region and with the Orange county,
n. V, dairymen to organize that business,
would prove one of the finest dairy regions
in the State. After crossing the hills which
skirt the Octoraro and its numerous tribu-
tary streams, belt of genuine barrenness
is reached bordering the Pennsylvania line.
This is a very poor region for any kind OF
farming, but was formerly rich in chrome.


Crossing the Conowingo creek, Pilot
Town is soon reached, which is the north
corner of the county. Here the rough hills
of the Susquehanna river rise boldly iii
view, and good quality of land with
thickly settled, thrifty population is met
with. Going from Pilot Town to Como
wingo, an ancient village at the mouth of
Conowingo creek, and lying contiguous to
the Susquehanna, the property of James
c. Bell, Esq, is entered. Mr.. Bell owns
thousand acres Of land here in one body,
which formerly was a tangled, wild waste
in 4 great measure. But wonderful
change has been wrought since the property
came into his possession. The public
spirited owner has constructed an excellent
road from near Pilot Town, through his
land to Conowingo, which he keeps III
order at his own expense, we were told,
and which is now a part of the public road.
The trees have been trimmed up, under
brush cut away and the marshy places
drained, and much of the land is in we'll
cultivated fields which formerly was given
up to the bramble. He is constructing a
road which will run round the greater part
of his land, and when finished will make a
delightful drive. From the mansion to the
public road, broad, winding avenues have
been constructed, and the village of Como
wingo has been improved by the erection
of several handsome buildings; and the
completion Of the railroad to this point is
impatiently waited for by the enterprising
owner, who has been preparing for the
event by lneSe Hut1elouS Improvements,
which he considers only preliminary to
what he then proposes to accomplish
The Conowingo is a fine water power at
this place ON which small mill for grind
ing soap stone and slate has been built, in
connection with saw mill formerly there.
Mr.. G. 3. Cutler has the mills under lease,
and does considerable business in grinding
soap stone and slate. Our time was so
limited that we could only make a hasty
glance at the many Improvements COM
pleted and in course of completion by the
enterprising owner, who is justly styled
the benefactor of that neighborhood.