Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-02-24
THE AUGUSTA FARMERS OF 4
QUARTER OT A CENTURY AGO.

SOME INTERESTING RECcLLECTIONs OF
AUGUSTA AT THE STATE FAIRS-sOME-
THING ABOUT FAMILY LIFE IN THE
vALLEY-sHEEP RAISING.
SC, &C., &C.
a friend has put us in possession of a
file of ''The Southern Planter for 1856.
1t presents some interesting reading show
ing as it does who in our farming commu-
nifty were foremost in that day in bringing
the affairs of agriculture before the people
of the State. The Planter publishes the
the full list of the fourth annual exhibl-
ton of the State Society which took place
that year.
THE FOURTH ANNUAL FAIR.
Among the Judges at the fair were-on
horses, Samuel B. Finley and James Bum
gardner, of Augusta; on fat stock, kobt.
J. Glendy, Of Augusta; On sheep s. f.
Christian, of Aug On plows, VIM.
Patrick, of Augusta; on drills. j. Wayt
Bell, of Augusta; on threshers, Jacob
Baylor, of Augusta; on general trial OF
plows, John McCue, of Augusta; on vege-
tables, Jas. A. McCiung, of Staunton; On
blankets and clothing, J. Marshall McCue,
of Augusta on best plan of preserving
wheat from harvest until marketing. Col.
Geo. T. Robertson. OF Augusta.
At the opening of the fair Farmers
Assembly WAS held to which the delegates
from Augusta county were S. B. Finley,
J. Marshall McCue, VIM. M. Tate, James
Bumgardner, and James Walker. Among
the officers elected was VIM. M. Tate,
Vice President.
AUGUSTUS PREMIUMS.
Among the premiums awarded at that
fair we see that Augusta held her own.
Samuel B. Finley took the second prem
ium for his single harness geldlng; Frank
Bell took the premium for the best yoke
of trained oxen; James Walker got the
second premium for single fat steer; j. M.
McCue took the premium for the best
slaughtered mutton Of long woods; DR.. A.
Dold, of Augusta took the premium for
the best and largest variety Of apples sui
table for Southern raising; Franklin Da-
Wis, of Augusta, took the premium for the
best peach trees; for the best butter and
cheese Mrs. G. S. Gay, of Augusta, divided
the premium with Mrs. A. Goddin, OF
New Kent; Francis Bell of Augusta, took
two discretionary premiums on fat cattle;
J. Marshal MuCue took the first premiums
for best crop of clover hay, best crop OF
Timothy hay, and for clover seed and lin
othy seed.
But the premium list for cattle and
ilyo
DAYS when Bowman and Pratt of Augusta
20 down and sweep the whole list OF pre-
miums. and Kindig shows his three hun
dred varieties of fruit and the like.
PREMIUM ESSAY ON SHEEP.
The Planter contains Twenty Dollar
Premium Essay On "Sheep in the Valley
at Virginia" written by MIR. S. F. Chris
4ian of Augusta, after ten years experience
in sheep breeding. He had selected thirty
;Sranish Jmerinos, and one hundred ana
sfftv awes srom the common breeds OF the
country. With this flock he put Cotsw old
buck to give form and size, and after the
first crop of lambs Esed merlno bucks on
Nv. He found after trying many other
combinations that tiis was the best. Al
ter irving several years OF grazing both
cattle and sheep he found tha5 bhe laIter
Welded 25 per cent mere profit on the Gap
ital invested. The average weight of the
fIeeces of his flock was over i've pounds
per head washed on the sheep, and the aV-
erage price he received for the wool Tor
the three seasons preceding the writing
of the essay was forty-aine cents per
pound.
SOWING LINE TO PREVENT FLY IN
WHEAT.
FIR. Jas. A. Cochran writes from Loch
Willow. Augusta, giving his experience
with lime in preventing the fly in wheat.
His plan was to sow broad cast about the
1st of November two bushels and half OF
lime to the acre Of wheat and the same
quantity again about April 18th. The
morning after the sowing he would see
large drops of ley on each blade, made by
the dew. ready to be tilted upon the eleSas
tion of these blades into She boot around
the wheat stalk In one case he put a
bushel of unslacked lime into Is gallons OF
water and watered d piece OF ground
fonr rods sauare with it in April. The
wheat on that ground Was free from fly
while that around it was seriously injured
by it.
A FAMILY GROUP IN THE VALLEY OF
VIRGINIA.
TIN, editor of the PLANTER introduces,
with some editorial remarks on the differ
.ent habits of life of the people in Virgin
ia east and vest of the mountains, letter
from gentlemen residing near Browns
burg, Rockbrldge. The letter gives an IN
teresting description OF the mode OF living
Of family residing near there. The ven
cradle heads of that family were ABOUT
celebrating their golden wedding. 4hey
had ten children of whom nine were mar
ried. For more than forty years the FAM
ily had risen all the year round between
four and FIVE O'Clock; at quarter to SIX
s,ravers and hymns and reading OF the b.
b,e. then breakfast, and all separate for
their various work on the farm; at II
o'clock dinner, and during the harvest
months two hours for rest; at sunset, sup
per. and at o'clock evening devotion and
bed. No servants were used In the fatai-
ly, but the boys and girls waited on them
selves and their elders-and this while the
family owned slaves; but the slaves had
their appointed duties, waiting Oh the fam
lily, not being one of them. The eol5Gr OF
the PLANTER Crank Ruffin. Esq.,) CON-
menting on this says, ''lf we do not recog-
nize the individuals of the picture, we at
least recognize the class as peculiar to q
portion of Virginia in which we have
spent some of the happiest as well as most
instructive days of our lives.''
THE LARGEST REPRESENTATION.