Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-05-05
The Shenandoah Valley, as Shown by
the Census of 1860,

The following article containing interesting
statistics of the Shenandoah Valley, we copy
from the " IiaNey Of Virginia Real Estate
Register" published by the Real Estate
Agents, Messrs. Echols, Bell, Catlett & Co. !:
The Valley of the Shenandoah, in Virginia,
which is the centre Of our operations as Real
Estate Agents, is about 120 miles long and
% wide embracing the 8 counties of Augusta,
Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page, Warren,
Frederick, Clarke, Jefferson and Berkeley.
The population of this Valley in 1860, was
l3O, ,356, of which 103,3 were whites and
6,596 were blacks. The area embraced IN
farms, (Which was by no means all the
section was 2,S49 square miles, or 1,O01,
961 acres of improved land, and 72O,S6O
acres Of unimproved, or farm woodland
The cash value of these farms was S45, ,9S2,-
521 or an average of S26,69 per acre. The
cash value of the farming implements and
machinery in use was S1,211, OPS. The live
stock embraced Sc, ,656 horses, 627 asses and
mules, 26,726 milch COWS, 972 working oxen,
55, 800 other cattle, 10000 sheep, 145, ,662
swine, or 336, ,450 head of live stock.
OF Wheat, Rye, Corn and Oats, it produced
6323, ,351 bushels, or more than As bushels
to each inhabitant, constituting l-197th of
the entire crop of the whole United States
and territories, of these four great cereals.
The wheat crop of this Valley was 2 1885,,
S96 bushels, more than 10th OF the crop of
Va, which was the 5th wheat producing
State in the Union, and 1-SOth of the whole
crop of the United States and Territories; it
was 1,176,793 bushels more than the whole
crop Of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Delaware, Kansas, Florida, Louisiana and the
Tolu cd thn
of either of Is States that could be named,
The average of the crop of the Valley was
17.3 bushels to each inhabitant, while that
of the New England States was III quarts;
of the Middle States 23 bushels; Of the
Western States 10 bushels; and of the whole
United States 81 bushels.
There are no statistics at hand to show the
average production per acre, but 1t is fair to
presume that it bears nearly the same proper
tion to other regions that the gross product
does. OF this wheat, too we may say what
can be said of no other in the United States,
that for series of years, the flour made from
it has commanded, in the markets Of Brazil,
$3.50 more barrel than that made in any
other portion of the Union, not even except
ing Baltimore this gave Richmond, before
the war. almost a monopoly of the Coffee
trade of Brazil, which was worth to the Uni
ted States in 1856, over sixteen millions of
dollars, and it must again become the centre
of that trade for the great Northwest, when
the projected Virg inia railroads are completed,
and, for climatic reasons, which cannot be
materially changed, the Valley -four, (Which
has to be sent only Us miles to reach New
port News, the best harbor on the continent,)
must continue to demand higher price than
any other.
The Corn crop Of the Valley, in 1860, was
3,l3S, ,5Sl bushels, or "a bushels to each in
habitant, while in the N. E. States it was
80 bushels, in the Middle States 81, in the
Western States, ,45.S, in the Southern 31.4,
and the United States 26.7. The Valley
crop was 1-12th of the crop Of the whole
State and 1-2S0th of the crop of the United
States and Territories; it was more than was
produced in either California, Connecticut,
Florida, Maine, Massachusetts,, Minnesota,
New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhods Island, or
Vermont, or in all the Territories and Dis
trict of Columbia. The nearhess Of the Val
ley to market, makes it pay to send corn there,
when that of the West and South is not
worth moving from the fields where it grew,
the market is so far away
The Rye crop of the Valley, (and rye is
rarely used as an article of food, and can
hardly be called one of its staple crops, in
1S6U, was 24l III bushels, or about l.o to
each inhabitant it was more than ! of the
crop of Virginia, and over. 1>90th Of the crop
of the United States; it was more than was
raised m either of 1S States that could be
named, including Alabama, Arkansas, Csli-
fornia, Delaware, Florida, South Carolina,
Texas or Vermont, The yield in the N. E.
States was As bushels to each inhabitant, in
the West 5, in the Middle States las, in,
the Southern States O.26 and in the whole
United States 81. In the New England,
M;IIlo md NNontsr., Stntcs L. ,,-oI