The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-12-14
amount Of subscriptions they can obtain on
the route Of the road in Loudoun.
THE COST OF FARMING IN VIRGINIA.

>-SN''NE' ~>@'ty tfeSSt du iihucutiat paper
published in Norwich, England, gives the
following information respecting the capital
required to farm in Virginia /:
Since wrote TO you respecting Virginia
as the best field for English engrants,
have had many inquiries from England on
the subject. | shall therefore devote the
remainder Of this letter to it. | recently
attended at Wyliesburg, Charlotte county,
the inaugural dinner Of the National Vir-
ginia Settlement Association, on which &C.
casion Mr.. Hugh Hanna, an Irish gentle
man, propounded some important queries,
and committee of leading planters was
appointed to report upon them. This COM
mittee, consisting Of Col. Barnes, of Alta
Vista, gainesville, DR.. John j.. Boswell,
Capt. j. r. S. Burwell, Zachariah Bugg,
Esq, and Major Francis j. Barnes, POST
master, Of Wyliesburg, met on Saturday
last. Col. Barnes was appointed chair
man, and Francis j. Barnes, Hon. secre-
tary.
Mr.. Hanna, in compliance with the re-
quest of the committee, submitted his
questions in writing, and the following is u
copy Of letter:
WILikbbuhus oepteinuvr sznu, lcsA.
GRsTLRNpN-Fhe questions upon which wlah
you to report to the National Virginia Settle
ment Association are rs follows:
/. Suppose an English or an Irish landowner
purchased an estate for the purpose of alloting
IL out among its tenants, what would be the
average return per annum on capital thus In
vestedf
2. wish 10 have the present mode OF renting
farms clearly explained, and / desire TO know
whether 1t would NOT be possible to adopt the
system of fred rentals In lieu of the system Of
farming on sharesS
,. wish to know how much capital per acre a
tenant farmer resident proprietor ought TO
possess for employment solely In leorktn9 the
land he farms.
l am, gentlemen, yonr obedient servant,
HueH HAsRA.
To Col. Barnes Capt Burwell, DR.. Boswell, L.
Bugs, Esq. and Major F. ]. Barnes, a commit.
tee appointed to report us above.
have had good deal of conversation
with Mr.. Hanna, who is very intelligent
and well-educated man. He has been three
years in the North aud West, and has
brought out at Pittsburg new thrashing
machine, for the patent OF which he lately
refused $l60, 900. Mr.. Hanna, although
Irish to the backbone, has q thorough
hatred of Fenianism, and he asserts that
mo man Of any character 10 Ireland will
have anything to do with it, 1t seems
that Mr.. Hanna is trying to get Irish labor
ers to purchase tracts of land in this State,
with view to bringing over some of the
tenant farmers, of whom he says there are
that his inquiries are pertinent to this OBJ
ject.
After long and careful deliberation, the
comm tee drew up the following report:
TO the National Fir9inia Settlement Association
GssrIRNRs--The COMMITTEES appointed at the
inaugural dinner OF your association beg 10 sub
nit the following answers to the questions hand
ed in by Mr.. Hugh Hanna.
The committee learn that in Great Britain and
Ireland, tenant farmers are charged rentals,
amounted to per cent. on the cost of the land.
In many instances the tenants have in addition
TO bear the cost of the drainage and ether i'm
provements.
With reference TO Virginia the committee says :
!. Farms one-t third forest. one-third in cultiya-
ton, aud the remainder lying in waste, are sell
ling at an average OF ten dollars per acre. These
will, Oh the crude system OF farming in
vogue, Weld net profit of 20 per cent on the
cost oil the whole farm. 1t is usual in this State
to cultivate one-third of the cleared land annual
iy, cad in alternate patches without any ma
s'hatever, except i'll the case of tobacco, oc.
casiontly Tobacco is generally planted on one
tenth of the area in cultivation, the remainder
being planted wi Ii corn, wheat, oats, &c, &c.
The ield per acre is as follows:
Tobacco ON improved land...... 1000 TO 20Gc lbs.
Tobacco on uniinpro, ed land. 500 to zoo lbs.
Wheat on improved land. So. 20 to 81 bushels.
Wheat on unimproyed land...... ~ is
Oats on improved land .............. ~ TO so
Oats on unililproyed land .... 20 TO 80
Indian corn on improved land. so to 60
Indian corn on unimproved land 10 10 20
There is no law regulating the scale OF rental.
The tenant, generally, gives one-tourth of what
he produces for the rent Of the whole land, he
having the use of the forests and uncultivated
fields for pasture. The landlord receives no part
of the produce OF the stock, but only one fourth
Of the grain, tobacco and forage produced The
tenant can raise in his garden AS many vege-
tables and as much firewood as he requires for
his own use oil the land. Contracts between in
diyiduals are strictly guarded by law. The fol.
lowing is fair estimate OF the average prices OF
farming productions Tobacco Yields $50 to $500
per acre. 81 per bushel; wheat ~ so per bush
OF, IS 60 cents per bushel. 1t will thus be seen
that capitalist investing for the purpose of set
ting tenant farmers on his land would receive an
excellent return for his money. II, however, IL
were thought desirable, the system of fixed rem
tails could be easily introduced, and renters would
be willing 10 pay rentals OF 10 per cent, more or
less, on ihs value OF the lind rE-
2. The capital necessary to furnish a total out.
fit which will last ten ears, TO provide labor for
one year, to inaintain household expenses for the
same period, and 10 thoroughly improve and
stock the land will bs amply sufficient II fixed at
three dollars per acre for the whole farm. Large
farms of say 500 acres and upwards can be work
ed ut much less rate per acre.
Respectfully submitted by this committee to
the National Virginia settlement Association.
X. A. BAKSEs, Chairman.
J. X. S. BURwBLL,
JoHx J. BoswgLL, NJ. d..
ZAcHARIAH BuGG,
EaAscIs j. BARNES, Hon. Sec.
In reply to further inquiry from Mr..
Hanna, the committee state that clover Is
worth $40 to SIS per acre standing in the
field uncut.
In further conversation | have had with
Mr.. Hanna, he has developed his ideas.
which, in some respects, are new TO Amer.
leans. He says that in the north Of ireland
there are too many farmers and too few
farms. 1t would be better ii some of the
farmers could be brought over to America.
| but such is their attachment to their land
lords that many of them would object &c
emigration unless plan could be devised
whereby they could still preserve a sort o.
connection with the landed proprietors o.
| the old country. In the opinion OF Mr.
| Hanna, the landlords Of the North OF Ire
land are, as class, more just and equita'
bic in their dealings than, perhaps, any
landlords in the world. For example: H'
says that from his own knowledge
there is not a single tenant among
| the thousands of tenait OF tn
Drumbanagher and Acton Estates
who would willingly change their condition
Yet he thinks that If such men as Colone
Close and Mr.. Quin, NJ. P, were to pur
chase large tracts of land in Virginia, ]
would be advantageous to both parties t
transfer some of the smaller tenantry t
this State. There can be no question tina