The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-30

(OrrcSn0ncnccOl the KlCHTlOHu ljlSlllcll.
Letter from - Botctourt ''--Ca4tlc Pros
poets Of Southwest Virginia.--Taxe-
wcll...RusscH County Il "Pis9nix ''.--
Summer Rcsorts--The Wheat Crop.
Cat CrOp---BIacHsburGA Agricultural
College, &C, sSc.
AMSTERDAM, BoTEToURT COUNTY, Va,
April q, 1872.
Since the date of my last communication l
have travelled through the counties of Pu-
laski. Wythe, Tazewell, Russell, and Snyth,
to the Tennessee line, returning through
Montgomery and Roanoke to my own vine
and fiy tree in this good old county of Bote-
tourt. and have made a few "dots' which
NAV interest your readers. In TaZewcll on
the 1st day of April some of the large glaziers
were just turning out their cattle to feed on
the young blue grass, which, they were glad
to say, would afford them living without
any further feeding; for the winter forage was
pretty generally "cleaned OUT more com
pletclvsSLan has been known in that region
for MARY years. The winter was severe be-
yond precedent. Stock suffered much; Il
good many died from exposure i'll the winter
and short rations in the early spring, but
they have. Us Il general thing, "comc
through" remarkably WE'LL and though often
tUlll dutt LII appearance, ehN. '> -
thrifty and strong, and three months OF
grazing-s'lch grazing as they get in South
western Virginia-will make them so fat
and sleek that il stranger from "short
grass" would never recognize them. and the
old cattlc-bryerS will readily go the old price
and "two bettcr.' for they have been
grain-fed" more than is ordinarily done,
and all cattlemen know that grain i'll winter
tells in the summer OH the horned cattle.
In Russell county the supervisors have
made arrangements to rebuild their court
house and Jail, destroyed by the recent fire at
Lebanon. Their loss is estimated at So, 600
and though sadly " disgruntled," the people
are not djsheartened 4 tax of twenty cents
on the 800 to begin with has been levied
for the purpose of rebuilding, and the work
is to commence at once. In this section
notice that at several different points extern
siye preparations have been made for the ac'
| commodation of summer visitors. AT
| Wytheylle, at Saltvile, and at Liberty, in
Tazewcll, large new buildings have been
completed, and everything will be done that
can he done to entice visitors from the no,
and dusty city TO these cool mountain re.
| treats, and to make their visits pleasant and
| oft-repeated.
The wheat crop is generally look.
ing we'll in the Southwest, though l
cannot say it is equal to the hopes
entertained from the large amount seeded
last fall. In some localities Il great dca
has been killed by the severe winter, the fly
| has been ut work in others, and though the
crop is looking well, considering what it Ia.
had to encounter for the last five months, ii
the way of alternate freeze and thaw, can
not agree with some who have travelled
through this part of the State on the railroad
and report "no damage to the wheat from
the severe winter, and the crop never looking
better" The oat crop has generally come VI
beautifully and is making good start, nor cal
it come in too soon, for corn is running low
in the crib and high in the market, and very
shortly hundreds OF farmers will have no
thing for their stock but the green grass.
Returning through Montgomery county
found the people generally iubilant over tn
success of their effort to locate the State Agrl
cultural College at Blacksburg. 1t Is a good
thing for the State; it is a great thing 1ol
the county of Montgomery, and is SO regard
cd by nearly every one with whom L con
versed on the subject. However, was sur
priscd to find that there were some who OPP
posed the appropriation by the county OF th'
sum necessary to complete the buildings aiie
purchase an experimental farm. Ihese mel
have not certainly looked further than theil
noses, or they would not have lost sight o
the advantages aceruing to each and every
citizen of any community arising from th'
location in their midst of a large and flourish
ing public institution. And why may moi
this tI school be large and flourishingy How
can II no otherwise? Once established b,
the liberulity and public spirit of the citizen:
in whose county it is located, with {
fund ii dam ample for its support if properly
handled, with Board than whom none more
competent or acceptable could have been Sc
lected, with location not exceiled, nor ever
ecualled, by any section that sought II, nna
with an Object in view that ought to ennis
the approval and cordial support OF ever!
true Virginiap, il must succeed, 1t VIII sue
ceed, and put to the blush any Voter VINO, "
the election shortly to be held In the county
mn rRst bnlIot rs}nst che DDr0TrtReap