Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-10-08
Our Town and its Business.


Our Town and its Business.
Tt must be source of pleasure to our citi-
zens to witness the activity and animation which
pervades all departments Of business in our
community At no former period has there
been so much energy industry and thrift among
our people New buildings are going up in all
quarters, and stores and workshops are multi
plying and the demand for houses still contin-
ues The present crop of grain, with the stock
of old corn on hand, will bring near one million
of dollars into our county. Our streets are
daily thronged with wagons, loaded with -four,
corn and rye and our enterprising merchants
give liberal prices for all kinds of produce
The apple crop of the present season will also
be source of large revenue, and the time is at
hand when our farmers will be forwarding
quantities of hogs, sheep and cattle to market.
The vast production of the Valley must soon
fill the pockets of the farmers, and relieve the
pecuniary pressure which has heretofore weighed
On our people.
All that we need is the assurance OF future
peace and quiet, in political matters. When
this is afforded by the results of the elections
in the Northern States, which are now at hand,
we shall witness an era of prosperity heretofore
unparalleled. re,.r
Our farmers have shown wonderful elasticity
under the difficulties which have heretofore
surrounded them. They have promptly ac-
commodated themselves to the new order of
things They are rapidly substituting machi-
merry for negro labour. They have bought hun
dreds of reapers, mowers, wheat-driils, snlky-
ploughs, and other implements of the best de-
scriptions They have bought, literally, guano,
bone dust, and other fertilizers, and many are
using lime and ashes as manures. An unusu-
ally large crop Of wheat has been sown, and 1t
has been put in, in good time, and with great
care and labour The recent rains will give the
wheat crop a good start, and without some un-
expected disaster we may hope for a bountifui
crop next year.
But we are sorry to learn that large part OF
the trade of the Valley is being diverted from
Richmond, to other cities We learn from the
officers of our banks that they find their balan-
ces rapidly accumulating in Baltimore, instead
of Richmond, and drafts on New York are now
freely offered. This indicates that our products
are finding market in those cities. Formerly
almost every thing was sold in Richmond. Our
Richmond friends must look to this. New
York dealers are coming among us and securing
all the fine -four of the Valley Thousands OF
barrels are brought here, and shipped either di-
rectly through Richmond, to New York, or by
the Alexandria and Lynchburg K. r. to Balti-
more Our Richmond merchants must rouse
themselves to new efforts, or they will find a
large part of their trade diverted from them
The Valley -four is of superior quality, and the
New York and Baltimore merchants have dis
covered the fact, and are striving to monopollze
it. In Richmond there has been an ''old fogy''
idea that none but the Richmond ''City Mill"
can make good -four. Our mills, though not
as extensive as those of Richmond, make quite
as good, if not better -four, than that made in
Richmond, because they have better material
to operate on. The Vally wheat is superior to
the lowland wheat, and it is housed in spacious
barns, instead Of being stacked or ricked.-
Hence the wheat is liz better condition and
makes better -four Sagacious men from New
York have discovered this fact, and have formed
connections here to out-bid Richmond for our
-four, and secure the control of our trade
When Valley flour goes to Richmond it is put
on the level with ordinary Eastern -four and
brings no higher prices. New York men,
availing themselves of this bunder Of our Rich
mond friends, are rapidly securing all the -four
of the Valley and sapping the foundations of
Richmond trade. Northern agents are here
too to secure the fruit crop of the Valley for
the New York market.
We repeat, our Richmond friends must bestir
themselves, and counteract this diversion of
trade, which should legitimately belong to
them. Why is it that corn is worth $135 in
Baltimore, and only $1.27 in Richmond ?-and
why is it that farmers can do better by selling
to New York agents in Stanton, than by for
warding to Richmond? These matters must
be looked into and remedied, or Richmond will
be left In the lurch