The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-04-17
NOTES On VIRGINIA.
By Jed HotchAiss. Geographical Engineer,
S auis,on, Va.
The Water Power of Augusta County.


The Commissioner in chargeof the Cen
sus ia 1860, in the prctocc to the volume
devoted to manufactures, recently publish
ed, says 1T was manufacturing and me
chanical resources and the aranaries oishe
Vest which enabled the republic to arm,
subsist and pay immense armies and create
iron clad fleets to meet the emergency
1t was mainly for the want Of these, and
not Tor any lack Of courage. will, or skill,
that the revolt failed. A more striking
illustration Of the value and power o! such
resources is not to be found i'll history
and from it, now that the cause of discora
is at All end, the integrity of the Union
vindicated and the reign OF peace begun,
all sections Of the country; States Coun.
ties, aud parishes may derive lessons Of
wisdom aud profit in regard to the value
of manufactures and the mechanic arts.
These blossoms Of wisdom and profit" have
been made available in many States, al
ways with the same results, and wherever
the Great Creator has so happily mingled
the clements that pillow. loom, and anvil
can work side by-side there comfort and
prosperity find their habitations The times
here are hard and money scarce, and yet,
III Il region OF country twenty miles long
and eighty miles wide We have at least a
million ard halt of bushels of corn, by
the estimate OF well-informed persons, be
you'd the wants of our population, worth
at least a million and a quarter dollars.
and this in populat on OF less than seven
ty thousand.
There is another fact in our crcumstap-
ces that seems strange, lands or the very
best quality, on Il limestone foundation, i'll
good condition and in genial climate
have an average value oi less than ti;ty
dollars an acre, tit was only twenty FIVE
by the census Of 1869 white laud, not as
good i'll any respect, i'll New York and
pennsy lvania have an average value OF
more than an hundred dollars an acre.
i be best farms i'll Lancaster county, Pa
are worth $3.50. per acre, while mere they
are not worth more than So. But these
things are nothing new itwasa long time
ago that Locke wrote In places where
thriving manufactures have erected them
selves, Land has been observed to sell quick
er aud for more than in other places -
and Adam Smith, the great English eco
nomist, says: ''The most opu!cnt nations
excel in agriculture as we'll as in manu-
features, but they are eminehty more dis
tin.uished BY the latter than by the Tor
mer' The conclusion is obvious we are
too much devoted to agriculture, we need
more consumers Of the products Of our
lands, if we would add to their value, and
these consumers must be brought nearer
to us, for now our farmers complain that
it costs most OF the profits OF crop to get
it to market, therefore the corn lies in the
crib and the farmers pockets empty and
50 is every one for by this plow alone We
thrive.
The County Of Augusta is about 80
miles square, therefore in has an area OF
near 1900 square miles or G40,0 600 acres,
and only one third Of this is improved. yet
in 1861, with population o. near 29, o0J
this County pfoduced over a million bush
els Of wheat and corn or about ~ bushels
to each person in it; so the County had net
only full rations Tor its own people for
that year, but enough for hundred thou
sand more. From this it may be seen that
we can add largely to our consuming popu
lation and yet produce no more than usual
1t needs no argument, after these facts, to
prove that it is to our interest to work
two-handad by introducing manufacturing
as one OF the leading pursuits Of our sec
ton, aud create market that shall buy
ali our su; plus and quicken the circulation
in all the channels Of industry. We are
so situated now that, although We eould
do it, it would require a long time for our
own people to much diversity their pur
suits. thefeiorcit seems best that weshould
invite, by superior inducements. capital,
trained labor and population to come aud
occupy the unoccupied two thirds of our
County and help cur people dcvelopc the
resources Providence has so l4vishly b.
slowed upon us. aid so aid us in paying
oil our Individual and State debts, faisi.
our great lines Of projected internal i'm
provements: improve our roads, rebuild
our schools and bring us again to such !,
state of prosperity as We once enjoyed, ii
not to u greater.
Impressed with these views We have con
Guided that it would, perhaps, be Of some
advantage to show, in detail. some OF the
advantages our region offers to those hay-
ing capital aud talent to invest. and call
the attention OF our own people to their
varied resources that they may be induced
either to make use Of them themselves OF
offer them forsale at snch rates as shall IL
ducc parties from abroad to come into our
midst and purchase and dcveiope them
There is but one sentiment. we know, in
regard to an increase OF population and
capital here, ali desire it, and men of sense
and industry vithor without capital. come
from where they may, will be welcome.
"a LEErI.E TOO LATE BYAJUG FULL"
the following, from the Wig. applies
TO number Of folks, besides Gov. Shar-
key.
Only few weeks before the collapse
Of the Confederacy. Humphrey Marshall
made stirring speech in the House OF
Representatives, in which he said he was
just beginning to get angry" 1t is so.
apparently, with Governor sharkey. He
bore with signal composure the long cata-
loane OF Ills of which the South was the