66

But, if not another foot of railway or canal be made in-
this section, its natural transportation far exceeds any other -
portion of the country.

Tide water navigation is of course much cheaper than canal
navigation, for on it no tolls are to be paid, and every part
of this whole region lies almost directly upon it and immedi-
ately adjacent to the great centres of export and consumption.
The price of the farm produce at these points less the cost of
production and transportation, is the value of the articles
produced. Now, although new Western lands, or these in-,
the interior, may in some places produce*a few bushels more
of corn or wheat to the acre, yet the nett produce, in money,
will not be equal to a less quantity produced here, owing to-
the increased charge for transportation to market. For the-
same reasons, all articles bought at a distance will cost more
than when near their place of importation and first sale.

Besides the above advantages of transportation, there is a .
sysem of railroads, part of which is already completed and in
oparation, which will give every neighborhood all the ad-
vantages which these speedy modes of transportation can
afford.

CECIL COUNTY.

That part of this county which lies south of the P. W. and
B. Railroad is bounded on the east by the State of Delaware,
south by the Sassafras river, which separates it from Kent
county, and on the west by the Chesapeake bay, with a length-
of about twenty, and a mean breadth of about fifteen miles;,
It is the most northern county on the Eastern Shore.

The soil embraces all varieties, from stiff, heavy clays to-
light ferruginous sands, and therefore adapted to every variety
of crop which the latitude will allow to be produced. Much
of the land has been improved to a very high degree, and,
much remains unimproved to amply repay for all the cost o-
money and labor that may be bestowed on it.

The variety of white oak soil in various parts of the county
lie contiguous to the means (oyster shell, lime and shell
marls) for their improvement, whilst the heavy clays and all
the various transitions from this to light sandy soils in the
southern part of the county have the same advantage. In-
many sections of the county rich shell marl and green sand
marl abounds, and is easily obtainable, whilst to all of it for-
eign concentrated artificial manures can be brought with the/
speediest and cheapest transportation.

The land lies high, and its natural drainage is very good
there being more than an hundred feet fall from the backbone,
of the county to its water boundaries.