88

This portion of the county it is almost needless to say, is
well wooded and is watered with springs of the purest, soft-
est water. The price of its lands vary from ten to two hund-
red dollars per acre, and are cheap if judicious selections be
made at much higher rates.

HARFORD COUNTY.

This county lies immediately west of Cecil, from which it
is separated by the Susquehanna river and the head of the
Chesapeak Bay; its western boundary is Baltimore county
from which it is separated by the Gunpowder river. Its
northern by the State of Pennsylvania and its Southern the
Chesapeake Bay. It contains about three hundred thousand
acres. The portion of it lying on the Bay is somewhat level
and flat, with good drainage ho'wever. Its upper portion is
hilly but not broken. The soils of the lower part are allu-
vial soils such as the white-oak soil and those formed by the
washings of the Susquehanna formed from the various rocks
through which this river runs.

In the upper portion, the soils are composed of the different
varities formed from granite, viz : red and white isinglass soils,
mica slate, talc, &c. Some of these in their original state
possess great fertility and all are capable of being cheaply
improved to the very highest degree of fertility. This has
been shown by practical results even amongst the most un-
promising soils, within the last few years. The examples
have been so numerous that the fact no longer admits of rea-
sonable doubt. Its lands produce abundantly the finest va-
rieties of wheat, Indian corn, grass for stock raising, with most
excellent fruit and numerous varieties of the best table veget-
ables, all in easy reach of the daily Baltimore markets. It
has large deposits of most valuable agricultural limestone by
which great and permanent improvements has been made in
its soils.

This county has rapidly improved its agriculture within
the last few years, and notwithstanding the late depressing
influences, has maintained a vigorous agricultural prosperi-
ty.

It is well wooded and water and its health, like the rest
of the Alleghany Range has not been questioned. Its facili-
ties for TRANSPORTATION are the Philadelphia, Wilmington &
Baltimore Railroad, which passes entirely through the east-
ern poriion of the county, and the Philadelphia tide-water
canal which terminates at Havre deGrace at the mouth of
the Susquehanna. It is also well supplied with good turn-
pike lands.