Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-07-30
AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIFIC,
yKoN THE SOUTHERN PLANTER
AGRICULTURE IN THE VALLEY.

wears, made several visits to the Valley OF
Virginia, from one of which have just re-
turned, wish, through your pages, to give
some of the impressions made on my mind
by comparison of the agriculture of that
part Of the State with our own.
The first thing that strikes person on
visiting the Valley from the southern part
rof Virginia is the great difference in the at
tention paid to hay and clover. In the
Valley you may ride whole day in con-
tinuous arabic country, and hardly find
field, which is not under some crop, but ls
well set in clover; and viii scarcely cross
stream, however small, along which you
will not see a meadow. You will see this
attention to clover and hay on the smallest
as well as on the largest farms. This gives
the country q most cheerful aspect, and be-
comes at once associated in your mind
with great plenty and independence.
AS to the comparative agriculture of the
Valley and this part of Virginia, will re-
mark that in attention to clover and hay
the people of the Valley are incomparably
ahead of us. Our barren fields, and in
consequence Of these, our small and poor
cattle and horses, make a miserable figure
to one who has just left the Valley; and
they also, to the traveller, make an exag-
gerated impression as TO our poverty and
general acknowledgement.
But in attention to manures and their
application. my opinion Is, that as a gene
raj thing, We in this part Of the State man
age better than they do in the Valley. On
large majority Of farms that could notice
from the road, could see very decided in
Of =,
the production and application ofputrescent
manures. And on inquiring of several in
telligent farmers, | met with an almost u
unanimous declaration that there was great
neglect on this head, and that their chief
reliance for the improvement Of their lands
is clover and plaster. And it was this neg
lect on the part of the Valley farmers that
suggested to me the propriety of commune
eating these remarks to the Planter. And
1t is to this point wish particularly to at
tract the attention Of the planters of our
part Of the State. If, in connexion with
our attention to putrescent manures, we
could prevail on ourselves to use clover and
plaster with libeiality and according to some
system, | am satisfied that in less than FIVE
years great change would be seen in the
face of our part of the State; and this
change would increase every year with our
experience of its advantages, and with our
increased ability which this system would
certainly produce.
We are equally able with the Valley far
mers to adopt this system. | made inqui-
ries OF different persons and in different cir
cumstanceS, and found that the cost of Plas-
ter is as great there as among us, being "a
bout thirteen dollars per ton by the time it
reached the farm. And also found that
from different parts of the Valley the ex-
pense of getting a barrel of flour to Rich
mond Ia one dollar and twenty-five cents,
which is the amount from Halifax Zone of
the most remote points from market) to Pc
tersburg or Norfolk. And after good deal
OF observation and some experience, am
perfectly satisfied that clover will grow as
well and produce as great and beneficial eff.
fects in every part of Southern Virginia as
in the Valley.
One other particular forced itselfupon me
with very painful impression, and that is
the interest manifested in, and the attention
paid to the prosecution Of internal improve
nents in the Valley. Every one seemed
to be aware of the immense value to any
community of good roads; it was question
on which | heard no difference, and | would
buthave subjected myself to ridicule had !
questioned the policy of having them; OF
had / suggested to them that they would
have been in less danger of State or FEEDER
al oppression, if they had been satisfied
with impossible roads and unmarketable
products but with light taxes. After very
careful effort to make an intelligent and i'm
partial comparison of my own part of the
State with the Valley, returned home
with the full conviction that our climate is
better, and, which many will think bold
word our soil is as good, and our natural
advantages greater. All we need is an out
let for our products-and may with truth
add, our prejudices on certain questions,
and an inlet to the means and inducements
to agricultural improvement. These, how
ever, I apprehend, will not be adequately
provided, until our planters, disregardlng
miLor considerations, and treating political
metaphysics with the contempt they de-
serve, will cease to surrender the control Of
our part Of the State to every imaginary and
fantastic notion and within, and neglect the
one true and real interest among us. The
history Of the human mind does not furnish
a more remarkable phenomenon than the
fact that party politics and traditionary O.
pinions and feelings have so sacamped the
understanding of Southern Virginia, as tc
make psople. on all other subjects remark
able for intelligence, on this one so stolid
as to make us doubt the utility or propriety
Of good internal communications between
US and our principal market towns; or to
suppose that that which improves every 9th.
er part of the country will, in some incom.
prehensible way, injure or impoverish OF
enslase us. II is melancholy for so fine a
part of the State as ours to be sacrificed tc
such chimera: but there is no hope fol
any thing else until our planters shall unite
and take their own interests into their own
keeping, and no longer give in trust their
intelligence, as well as their interest to pol
iticians and adventures.
Yours, &C., JOHN T. CLARK.
Halifar, "a, June 4, 1851.