Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-10
Richmond Flour Mills.

Richmond Flour Mills.
\ Carolinian, writing from Richmond n
the Columbia Southern Guardian" ~
commends the men Of his State to turn Their
water power to a similar use, and start mills
near Columbia. South Carolina. He recon.
mends sound, practical men to take the mat
ter in hand, and remarks that his reflection,
have been suggested by Il visit made To tie
Touring mills situated on the James River
and Canal, in the city of Richmond" There
are seven mills, some with twenty.tour pair
of stones, seven feet in diameter, possessing
the finest machinery that has ever been IN,
vented for the manufacture of -four. and
turning out between four and five thousand
barrels per day. This requires about TWEEN
ty thousand bushels of wheat per dav, or
about eight million bushels per annum.-
These are said To be, by good judges, model
mills, both in their machinery and IN their
management; and, for the benefit of some Of
your enterprising and practical readers, |
will state that one of the oldest OF these
mills, The ~llaxall Mills" was established
about the year 1907. by Mr.. HaSail, the
father of some of the present owners, with
only four pair of stones. They have gone
on from that period, steadily increasing in
capacity and capital, until they are now run.
ming twenty runners, turning of about one
thousand barrels of hour per day, and have
made large fortunes for their owners. la
the meantime other energetic and practical
men in and around Richmond, seeing the
Haxall Mills prospering 50 well, embarked
IN the enterprise, and the result II prIncely
fortunes 10 their owners, and furnishing, As
it were, at their own doors, one Of the best
wheat morkets Tor the farmers of Virgins.
Upon further inquiry, | found that, before
the manufacture Of hour was SO extensively
embarked in at Richmond. Virginia was hot
known ~ a wheat State. 1t required nearly
all the wheat grown IN the State for home
consumption. She relied almost entirely
upon her tobacco for her wealth. The
watchword was then, more land for tobacco.
Their finest lands were cut down and run,
wear after year, in tobacco, until the ' Irgiu.
ians found out that, in Il few more years,
they would not have any more land u cue
down, and that their country was then coy.
cred all over with fields full OF gullies ami
scars. They discovered that, unless Il differ
ent system of cultivation Vas adopted, thcy
would have to abandon their lands and
move to the Southwest, as thousands did At
that time to Florida and Alabama. They
like true patriots, set about the work Of their
own redemption, and the first step taken
was to reduce the number of acres planted
in tobacco, and increase their wheat IN the
same proportion. They adopted Il better
system of manuring, by the application oi
compost, lime. and plaster to their land.
and, lately, have made use of great quaint,
ties of guano. They, in addition To their
manuring and fine preparation OF their
lands, have adopted the rotation aud RES
system, letting one-tourth of their land .e
either in clover or pea-fallow every year
The land now planted in tobacco is better
MANFRED and prepared, and while there =
no %diminuti0n in the tobacco crop, find
upon inquiry, that there has been a steady
increase in the wheat crop from SIX millions
cf bushels in 1890 to twenty millions IN
1887; and p0yi paSSW, with the increase 10
the production of wheat, find that the mill,
have increased. In fact, WAS told by Neye.
raj large planters that the great increase IN
the production of wheat was mainly owing
to the fine market afforded by the Richmond
mills for the purcha of the planters wheat,
paying now Sl.30 for red, aud $50 ioE
white-the planters of South Carolina only
getting from sixty and seventy cents poT
bushel. may add another great element
in the increased production, namely, the
great Railroad and Canal system of Virgin
il. | believe these enterprises have done
much in developing the resources Of Var.
gina. They are well mana sed, and pay
good dividends De Bow'S Rericw.