66

But, if not another foot of railway or canal be made for
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 those 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 Bands, 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 of
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.