The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-05-07
Leffer from Montgomery.

Letter from Montgomery.
sf"orre ;pondence Of the Richmond Uispatrh.I
G soPs FRUIT -soME COMFORT FOR FARMERS
TOBACCO PaOspEoT-FLY--NEw RAILROAD,
ETC. e', #e.. -. 1--.
MONTGOMERY WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS
, May 6, 1875.
What Ia the matter, Messrs. Editors? You
Of the Dispatch, who are so apt al answering
uuZzling questions, What is the matter with
the weather: Has the sun slipped out OF
GEAR, or this ball of ours got of the track
something's 10 pay. Here have been for
the last two days wrapped up in oVercoat
and blanket, and cold at that, as / drove
through Bo.etourt, Roanoke, and Mon'gom-
ery. Real win.er weather-wlnd, ram, ana
snow, and cold as scissors, and getting no
better fast. The mountains along my route,
which at this time of the year are robed I'D
green. now look bleak and bare as winter,
and even more gloomy, for they wear 10
mourning the dead and dry shoots and ten
der leaves which had begun to bud month
AGO. Not a green tree can be seen III the
forests whose refreshing shade have not
unfreuucntlv welcomed at this season OF the
year. The fruit trees are putting out their
| leaves, but The dead bloom or blasted fruit
stil bangs unsightly from the boughs.
! We passed the large.peach orchard OF Dir.
| John C.. Moolman, which few weeks ago
looked like bright carpet spread out over
acres Of the mountaiu-Slde. Mr. NORMAN
| aas saying he would want two hundred
hands TO dry, preserve, and can tins fruit.
! Nov | understand be offers i've dollars re-
ward for find,ng a live peach, and no one TO
claim il. The extent of damage 10 the "heat
and tobacco plauts can be better a>certaned
| IL
10 see that most OF the wheat is unlDJurea,
while some fields, always the finest and most
forward, are brown, and either partly or
entirely dead. Some would burn readily
like broom.sage; but there are not many
Such. and tor the comfort Of their owners
will give them the experience OF Tennessee
f,rmcr. who says some yearsago similar colu
gave nlsseu over thai State and lett his " heat
~ brown aul Gcad US a Pittsylyanla old
rield: but TIE weather SooD set IN, a ne"
rrop nut out from the old roots, punched
finely, grew rapidly, ripened III good tlme'
and made him thirty bushels to the acre
We 90, over into several Of the damaged
f.lds. and examining closely the roots OF the
dc 1d whca, could see young, vigorous Shoots
outing up: 50 re have hopes thlt the ieh-
upS>eea,'1 story vii! be verified this year IN
Virginia. Just here let me remark that
eonld not ace or hear of any Of that variety
If wheat known AS the "Futz" which had
suffered. II has proven itseltyery bardy ana
well suited TO our variable climate, and farm
nrs selecting their seed hereafter Will do well
70 remember this. The farther west we
come the greater is the trouble about tobacco
plants. la Bntetourt the planters will do
pretty well if the fly does not out-do them
| TN. cool weather. But in this section the
c,mplant Of their great scarcity is general.
In miny places where the plants were thougnt
TO have escaped the freeze, being uncovered
md yDosed to the sun, they wiled and died
| in others the bug attacked and cXtermlnatea
whole beds in Quick order As soon as they
| we're uncovered. \ great deal OF tue hne>t
tobacco whcl gncs 10 our markets IL mace
| in Montgomery. We are forced 10 conciude
| bat the tu"act0 crop has been niucn cur
allied by the cold snap, and IS every Gay
| losing.
As we passed through Salem we spent .
very ulea,ant Eour at "spcllingrlnk.'
rGc o. ice. OF the entertainment was to raise
urds Tor the purchase OF a bell for the
Methodist church. There were three classes
rrt,cd against each other, consisting OF cItl-
Ems, students. and school chidren-e eight OF
each. Judge Baruitz was enunclator. After
a protr acted contest, enhvcncd by some good
music from tn" Salem band. some very good
spelling, and some very funny mistakes, the
ci:iZcuS' class came of victorious. All the
o. beers bad been seated and there were three
Of them still upon their feet-viz., MrsSrs.
William McCauley, county clerk; Frank
ChamerS, bank clerk and Cornelius Jor-
dap, dry goods ceIk-a clcrky Sc. Miss
Bette Hulowe proved herself the champion
>pelIer from the public schools, and Mr.. J.
burst from the college.
I believe | have DO other item except the
building Of uarrow.gauge railroad from
this place to Big Tunnel station, on the AT.
lantic. Mississippi and Ohio railroad, one and
i half miles. The work is being pushed
forward, and will be completed by the 1st OF
June. The rails are brought from Philadel-
phia uid City Point. BoTEToURT.