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country retires from the railroad south, the clay becomes
heavier and mare stickcy, alternating with a large proportion
of light, gravelly soil. These lands have all the ready ad-
vantages of constant communication with Washington, the
time of which occupies from less than at one hour at the
farthest point (the Laurel Factory), to fifteen minutes to the
nearest one at Bladensburg—whilst in a little more than one
hour Annapolis and Baltimore may be reached. The most
prominent features of this country are well-rounded hills and
gentle undulations, affording handsome positions for dwell-
ings. On the Patuxent there is a narrow belt of light,
sandy soil, which, farther back into the country, changes into
a light gravelly loam,—more fertile and productive than the
land directly on the stream. On the Patuxent river, and in
tie neighborhood of the county seat of Upper Marlbro, and
occupying a large portion of the central and eastern sections of
the county, there exists in great perfection the clayey soils
which I have before described as " Forest of P. G. Soils, or
the Greenland Soils," and what I have said of their cheap-
ness and fertility and excellence, need not be here repeated,
They stretch back from the Patuxent river to the interior of
the county, and thus lie either directly on or but a short dis-
tance from steamboat navigation on the one side, or within
from eight to ten miles of Washington City, (by no means too
far for a country residence) on the other. Being, as a general
thing, somewhat lighter in texture than the South and West
river soils, they produce the finest quality of tobacco in great
abundance. The productiveness, health, convenience to
market and the ease with which these soils can be cultivated,
leaves nothing additional to be said in their favor. The
country bordering on the Potomac lies high, dry and rolling,
having beautiful locations for dwellings, with lovely water
and inland views. The soils are less strong than those just
mentioned, but are sold at a lower rate, and have the ad-
vantages of the cheap and speedy water carriage of the Poto-
mac river, together with the advantages of the Potomac her-
ring and shad fisheries. On Hanson's branch, and other
streams emptying into the Potomac, the soils are also very
productive, of easy cultivation, and cheaply improved. The
physical character of this soil is of the best quality, and ad-
mirably adapted to the cultivation of the finest fruits and
choicest vegetable productions. This has been long demon-
strated by the gentlemen resident here, who, notwithstanding
the calls of the usual arduous duties of farming life, have
found time to produce, in the greatest perfection, all the fruits,
flowers and vegetables of this latitude, the average product
of their gardens and orchards being fully equal to the exhibits
of the Northern Pomological and Horticultural Societies, and
in many kinds of fruits and vegetables far surpassing them.