Agriculture

	Historical Society of Cecil County

Agriculture, Then and Now

By Anne Copley

On plantations like Bohemia Manor, some of the vast acreage granted to Augustine Herman by Lord Baltimore, slaves were already harvesting tobacco from the fields of southern Cecil County in 1674. That was the year Cecil was officially designated as a county. Tobacco was grown extensively in the county, mostly on scattered early plantations along the waterways. However, in those early times neighboring Dutch planters raised the wheat that supplied Cecil County residents with food. At that time in our history tobacco was the principal commodity, the cash crop. Every available acre was planted mostly in the Oronoco type of tobacco. Even Lord Baltimoreís quitrents were assessed in pounds of tobacco.

After drying, tobacco was packed into hogsheads for shipment directly to England from wharves often located on the plantations. It was shipped to merchants in England who sold it on a commission basis. At times these merchants filled orders for such things as ink or axes for the colonial planters. The ships returned carrying these necessities and slaves. Later the small tobacco growers sold their crop outright to large planters or to an agent or factor for a British merchant. Later still a law required that tobacco be sent to a central point for inspection before the final shipping.

By the 1740ís, several factors were pushing Cecil County farmers away from growing tobacco, and pulling them towards growing grains. Due to the fact that tobacco was a labor - intensive crop many slaves were needed. Tobacco also wore out the soil. Residents needed grain for food. Philadelphia was profitably exporting grain to Europe, and encouraged the growing of grains in the Maryland counties to the south. For these reasons many planters in Cecil County had largely changed to corn and small grains such as wheat, oats, and barley by the 1740ís.

After 1720 agriculture in the county was divided into two different types of farms. In the tidewater area holdings still ran to large plantations usually run by tenants or managers. These required many workers and had large slave populations in the early times. These early plantations became nearly self -sufficient. They grew most of their food and also had a few cattle and other livestock to supply their needs. Some had small mills to grind the grain they used. The proximity to navigable water allowed the import of necessities and luxuries, and the easy export of grain and other crops.

Some of these early plantations have survived for centuries: ìGreenfields,î was patented to John and Mary Ward in 1674. Here at first they raised tobacco using slave labor. In the beginning animal power, first provided by oxen and then by horses, pulled the plow. Later ìGreenfieldsî became more diversified and modernized. For example, in the early 1900ís a steam threshing machine harvested the grain. The farm is famous for itís elegant brick mansion. Corn and soy beans now grow in the fields. ìWardís Knowledgeî near Cecilton has been cultivated since 1694. ìEssex Lodgeî is said to have been a working farm for over 300 years. In the 1950ís, Aberdeen Angus cattle were raised there and usually sold at the Lancaster Stock yards.

The fall line marked a contrast in the type of farms. Plantations dominated the coastal plain east of the fall line. In the Piedmont part of the county mostly smaller farms were found. One of the earliest was ìSuccess Farm, î located on the Susquehanna River about where the Conowingo Dam is located. It was originally called îLand of Delightî and was surveyed in 1683 for Thomas Lightfoot. It came into possession of John Hammond Cromwell whose descendants owned it until 1937. Here twelve yoke of oxen were used to farm 400 acres. ìSuccess Farmî was famous for a fine brand of peach brandy, made from peaches grown on 100 acres of the farm. ìSuccess Farmî no longer exists.

Welsh, Scotch-Irish, and Quaker farmers from the north settled all across the northern part of the county from 1683-1720ís. Here the owners and their families usually worked farms with the help of just a few workers. Some farmers kept a few slaves. These farms were more diversified as to the products raised. While tobacco was grown early, small grains, corn, and hay soon became the chief crops. Typically, every farm had some fruit trees and a farm garden. As time went on, there were also large orchards and dairy farms. Many farmers also raised poultry, hogs, sheep, and horse hay for the Philadelphia market. They also shipped butter and eggs to the cities. This land was rich and well watered. Fast flowing streams allowed the use of mills. Some of these became merchant mills in the 1800ís. They ground grain for other growers and shippers.

Farming was always a way of life and big business in Cecil County. The newspaper The Cecil Democrat, regularly published the prices for grain. For example; ìSept. 6, 1851- Price Current - flour $4., wheat 70-73 cents for good to prime reds and 73-83 cents for white; white corn 58- 60 cents, yellow 55-56; Oats 33 ñ35 old, and 28 ñ32 new.î The prices of beef cattle, sheep, hogs, and lambs were also published weekly. The Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad placed ads in the Cecil Democrat in the winter of 1854-1855, announcing to farmers that the railroad would be adding milk and market cars, in a ìhope to enable Milkmen and Market men to avail themselves of a regular and speedy conveyance.î

Cecil Countians learned to take care of their land by crop rotation and fertilization. This is shown by an advertisement in the Cecil Democrat of Sept. 6, 1851. ìGuano-Just received from ships Norman and South America, 440 bags Peruvian guano, which I am selling as cheap as can be bought elsewhere, perhaps a little cheaper. Call and see, a good article of Patagonian, also on hand and for sale. I expect a boatload of Wrightsville Lime here this day (Sat.). Persons in want will please call immediately. Jos. P. Cantwell, Elk Landing Wharf, Sept. 6.î

How times were changing! The 1800ís saw the coming of electricity and the invention of new machinery. As time passed the use of tractors, trucks, and the new types of farm machinery replaced horsepower [and gave new meaning to the word]. All these things contributed to big changes in the way farms were operated. Now farming depends on large mechanized equipment.

M. Frances Taylor who lived at ìStone Lea Farmî for about 70 years told me that her father purchased the farm in the early 1900ís. He was engaged in general farming and also had a dairy. In the 1920ís, when new requirements for the stabling of cows and shipment of milk came into effect, he changed from dairy cows to beef animals. ìStone Lea Farmî is still in operation by owner Dallas Green. He has a herd of Holstein heifers, beef cows, some horses, and also raises timothy hay.

An article in The Midland Journal, August 28, 1925 mentions a farm tour that visited the tomato patches on the T. B. Miller farm. At that time farmers raised tomatoes and sweet corn for local canneries.

In the 1920ís a horse and wagon delivered milk from local dairy farms. Milk was dipped directly into the customerís container. The Lindell family ran one of these routes. Milking was first done by hand but the invention of milking machines soon replaced it. The law requiring that milk be pasteurized meant that most farmers shipped their milk to centralized dairies where it was processed and bottled for sale. Each farm had a large cooler to store milk cans that were shipped daily. The 1930ís saw some famous dairy farms in the county. One of these was Donaldson Brownís ìMt. Ararat Farmî near Port Deposit, with its noted Guernsey cattle and Golden Guernsey milk. Another farm was ìBroadlands Jerseys.î Here Hoagland Gates was a pioneer in Maryland for using a blood- testing program to check cattle for TB and Bangs disease (undulant fever). The object was to stop selling milk from infected cows. His herd of imported Jersey cattle was tested clean of those dreaded diseases. Some other major dairymen of the time were the McGrady family, Walt Mason, Mrs. H. B. Crowgey, and the Balderson family. Many of these local dairymen exhibited stock in area shows and at the state fair.

In 1951, John L. Morris, retired Extension Dairy Specialist from the University of Maryland, took the dairy judging team to England where they won first prize. Glenn McGrady of Cecil County was a team member.

It was in the late 1950ís that milking parlors and loafing barns began to replace individual stalls in barns. An article in ìThe Baltimore Sun,î June 20, 1971 describes many new ways of dairy farming on one farm. On the Balderson farm, conveyor belts were used to clean stable gutters and move hay bales into lofts. They had milking machines that sent milk directly from the cow to a large cooler. Tank trucks collected it to take it to the dairy where it was processed. Here eighty-four cows were milked regularly. In addition they had a productive orchard.

In 1976 there were quite a few Cecil County farms that had been in operation for several hundred years. A number of these were located in the ìNottingham Lottsî around the Calvert area. This area was part of a large land grant made by William Penn in 1701 to a group of Quakers. Officially it became part of Maryland after the Mason-Dixon Line was drawn. Among these farms are Frances Hubisís ìWhite Plains Farmî and the Moore farm. In the 1970ís there were active mid-sized family farms all across Cecil County.

The late William du pont at one time had a herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle on his Fair Hill estate. He introduced the Fox catcher Steeplechase to Cecil County in 1934. It later became part of the Cecil County Breeders Fair.

While these events were taking place in the Piedmont, other changes were happening in Middle Neck and further south. The first big change was from a tenant farmer system to owner-operated establishments. Today holdings in the first and second districts are still large. Corn, soy beans, wheat, and barley are the main crops grown on farms like ìThe Anchorage.î One or two dairies still operate in the southern part of the county. The recent arrival of Amish farmers in the Cecilton area will probably change some large farms to smaller ones and increase the number of dairies. Another change is the establishment of large corporate chicken and egg operations in the Warwick area.

One of the biggest changes is the establishment of the thoroughbred horse industry in the county. County farms had always had good horses for work, transportation, and recreation. Racing and fox hunting were popular. For 15 years around the turn of the century, William M. Singerly, owner of the Philadelphia Record, bred horses on his farm near Blue Ball. The breeding and training of thoroughbred racehorses gained importance in 1963 after Mrs. Richard du pont bought ìWoodstock Farm.î This became the home of Kelso, five- time Horse of the Year, and Nearctic, sire of champion Northern Dancer. Mrs. du pont was influential in bringing Mr. E. P. Taylor from Canada to the Chesapeake City area where he established ìWindfields Farmî and ìWindfields Stallion Division.î The excellent stallions Northern Dancer and Nijinsky II helped these farms became famous worldwide. This whole area is often called Little Kentucky because of the fine horses. Thoroughbreds are big business in the county today, even though it has declined since Mr. Taylor is no longer here. Other owners and trainers are still active. Horse farms, big and small, are located all around the county.

The last fifteen years have brought many changes to the farming community. Since 1992 the number of small farms (10-49 acres) has risen. Owners who work elsewhere and only farm part-time operate most of these. Also the number of farms of 1000 acres or more has risen 18%. On the other hand, the number of medium sized farms has declined about 18% during the same period. Mechanization and no-till farming have encouraged the creation of larger establishments. In 1997, 464 farms occupied 85,702 acres in the county.

Among the large farms is ìMount Pleasantî owned by Kilbys, Inc. Here, about 360 cows are milked daily. Grove and Arlene Miller and their son operate another big farm and dairy. Some farms are being worked by custom farmers or rented by them. Farmers such as the Spry brothers and the Mackie brothers till land all around the county. These farmers not only work their own land but they rent many additional acres. This helps pay for the very expensive machinery necessary to handle crops today. The previously mentioned Balderson family of Colora no longer has a dairy. Instead they have a large orchard. Milburns Orchard and Farm Market is another big operation today. Amish farmers who have moved to the Calvert area have begun planting tobacco again in the County.

Agriculture has greatly changed in the last few years and so has the rural landscape. Today housing developments are gradually replacing Cecil Countyís farms. Nevertheless agriculture of all types is still very important to the economy of Cecil County. The value of all Cecil County farms in 1997 was estimated at nearly $700 million. Today farmers and large landowners face continuing pressure from market forces over conflicting land-uses. So much so that various land and farm preservation programs are in place to help farmers keep their land in crops and pastureland.

Sources:

Personal interviews: M. Frances Taylor, John L. Morris, and Bill Kilby

Cecil County Farm Sampler by Davis ñBicentennial 1976

The Sunday Sun, Baltimore, MD, June 20, 1971-Section-H

The Cecil Democrat, Elkton, MD, Sept. 6, 1851

The Cecil Democrat, Elkton, MD, December 23, 1854

The files at the Historical Society of Cecil County ñ Winfields Farm and Woodstock Farm

Marylandís Colonial Eastern Shore by Swepson Earle p.110, 111

Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634-1980 by Robert Brugger p. 64

History of Cecil County by George Johnston p.77, 191-194

Head of the Bay Compiled by Cecil Historical Trust p.37-39

Cecil County, Maryland: A study in Local History by Alice Miller p.137-139