New-York tribune., 1878-04-13
HOMES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED.
VIRGINIA.

1
Soutb from settling in the State Of Virginia. One u
the popular belief that the Yrginians are stll SO
bitterly hostile in feeling TO their old invaders as
| to make a residence among them undesirable. NO
man of proper feeling is going to settle down III the
| midst of surly il-humOr or recrlmlnatlons lOr tne
rest Of his days. when the whole country IS before
| him to choose his home.
The objection is, however, founded on mistake.
There is not a State in the Union which has made
as earnest and systematic an effort to invite the
! emigration of Northern men. as Virginia. her
| Board of Emigration, composed OF the Governor ana
other State officers have issued detailed reports OF
! her physical commercial and manufacturing cohdl-
! tion to attract the attention of workingmen ana
captasts; in every county some prominent citl-
zen was selected by them to offer counsel and neigh
| bory attention to the emigrant. Her General
| Assembly ten years ago issued an urgent INVITA-
tion to the migratory population OF other States,
| both American and European, to fix their homes
| and invest their capital in the Old Dominion"
I'm short while the carpet-bagger has been treated
as he deserved in Virginia, we do not believe there
! il a county in her borders where an honest man,
casting in his lot heartily with the people, wOuid
not receive to-day an eager and friendly welcome
The second objection to the State is the vague
general belief that It's farming lands are completely
worn out. We shall give brief description OF the
present condition of the State, condensed from
official Investigations from which our workIngmen
can Judge of the extent to which this assertion IS
true They must bear in mind, however, III c1npar-
ing the advantages of n settlement III tins state ana
on new land in the West the fact that owing to the
ravagcs of the war, and the sudden change III thc
labor system Virginia land is thrown upon the mar
ket at n 1.-THE of its former value. Cultivated farms,
with dwelling and out-buildIngs, can be bought IN
the Piedmont belt as low as tmber-land III other
States Produce can be Immediately brought to the
great neghbOring markets at a minimum cost i"r
transportation. The income of the new settler Will
not be drained for years to come to build railroads.
schools and churches, III an undeyeiOped STATE;
they are there, ready for use.
On the other hand he would do well to compare
closely the rates of State and county taxation with
that of the Western State. He ought to be willing
TO bear his share of the burden Of the yet unpaid
for war; but he need not handicap himself TOO
heavily with it at the outset.
Virginia offers an exceptional variety of forna-
ton. stretching from the old red sandstone and
slate of the Appalachian Mountains, covered with
hickorcs and white-oas, to the fiat sandy salt
marshes of the shore. The State is usually divided
into four sections running parallel with the coast
and the mountains and it will make our meaning
clearer to speak Of them separately.
T;deIrafer which includes the counties between
the sea aud the head Of tide-water If the reader
will draw his finger on the map from Georgetown,
above Alexandria, through Fredericksburg, Peters
burgh and Weldon he will mark out this belt TO the
east I'm this section the mean temperature for the
wear is 57s; from 77.3 in the Summer to 800 IN
Winter The Winters are mild snow seldom lying
OH the ground for week at time; the soil on the
shores is light warm and quick, suitable for garden
stuff and occupied largely by truckmen. inns as
trict is all within thrty-sx hours OF New-lork'
The fruit grown here for canning in Baltimore
amounts to about $7,O0O,000 The fisheries sup
port one-half the shore population, the annual
value of the oyster fishery amounting to SIC, O,OOO-
600. Most of the ground s common upon Which
the poorest may fish or shoot. II will be safe fora
poor man buying land here to reckon half the susie
nance of his family coming n free gift from the
water and marsh IL is emphaticay fat
and lazy land. The danger from disease lies
in ague in the low ground Land may
be bought in the shore counties from
81 to So, unimprovcd, and from 50 to 500, i'm
proved; labor, owing to the number of blacks who
can live without working, rates from ~ to TlO per
month Mechanics can make from 81 30 TO So per
day. In Henrico County, near Richmond, land sells
from So to $50 in Fairfax County, where are mar
ket gardens for Washington City, from 50 to TlOO
Highly improved plantations sold last year in Glou-
cester County for 500 per acre. including buildings
The yield of wheat averages only from . to 20
bushels. Market gardening, oystering and hShlng
are the roads open 10 competency for poor man III
TIdewater Virginia. Peanuts, at the average yield
of 60 bushels, bring in $50 per acre. From sweet
potatoes the ordinary yield is 800 to $500, while
half dozen in berries peas and larger fruits
such as one family cultivate, often yield from
81, 900 to $1,000. II will be seen that two acres
here will equal in productive power large tract OF
EaVltl tltgap1
are found in abundance in marls and the sea-wceds
of the shores.
The Piedmont BelL-This section extends from the
Blue Ridge down to tidewater. Wheat and tobacco
are the staple products. 1t is beautiful rolling
country with singularly hcalthful climate. Land
in large tracts, unmpr0ved can be had from $3 to
Sc improved with buildings, from IS TO SlO
Buildings cannot be expected with small tracts
The improved land, a rule, is so exhausted by
tobacco that il will cost as much III fertilizers as the
original price. Long credit is given usually to pur-
chasers. II would be unwise for any man with
family to begin farming in Piedmont without ready
money enough TO tide him well into the second year.
after that he ought with industry to succeed. Me-
chanics, however in the villages and small towns of
Middle Virginia would find the prices of labor APP
proximae closely to those in the cities, and the rates
of living about one-fourth as high. sober frugal
industrious man with trade ought to live comfort-
ably IN this region.
The Valley Belt lies between the Blue Ridge and
the Allcghany Mountains, and resembles its oXtcn-
sion in Pennsylvania is rich in iron, copper, salt
gypsum and manganese 1t is mixed farming and
grazing district, is free from malaria and well
watered. On the pateaus fruit is grown with
marked success. In the mountainous counties the
timber land is sold at prices ranging from ~ to S2
Cattlorasing is most remunerative sheep-raising
ranks next.
The IrdRs-AlleGhdny Belt, comprising 5000 square
miles, is yet, for the most part, unopened forest,