Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-06-27
Letter from Culpeper.

MITCnELL's STATION, Va. June ~. 1882
Truly this has been one of the most ia
vorablc harvest seasons for years in this sec
tion Of Virginia. and truly this 30th degree
Of latitude in Piedmont Virginia is rccr from
cyclones and floods than any other portion
OF the State, we verify believe, and why i'm
migrants and settlers do not come to this
section of Virginia and purchase lands. is
more than | can understand. There are
hundreds and thousands of acres of arabic
land lying on and contiguous to the line Of
the y. Nj. Railway. anywhere from Manas-
saS to GOrdonsville and Charlottesville. that
can be purchased for from five to fifty dol
lars per acre-according to the quality of
and improvements on the land. We can
show hundreds Of acres of land now in
wheat that can be bought for ten dollars per
acre that will this year yield from twelve to
twenty bushels of wheat per acre. and that
too with an application of only about two
hundred pounds of fertilizer to the acre,
costing, say four dOllars-talk about the
soil of Virginia being cxhaustcd-why il is
the vcricst bosh; and talk about the advan-
tagcs Of the great West over Virginia: you
show me wherein the advantage lies and |
will show you that if you give our lands the
same thorough cultivation and kindred
treatment that the lands of the West Get.
that the net income of the Virginia farmer is
greater than that Of the Western farmer.
What has made the West so great that
Virginia has not the advantage Of becoming
greater? In one word, it is the large stock
interest of the West made more valuable by
feeding her corn crops TO that stock and
in thnf
can, and why don't we stop this eternal
plowing, plowing. and get more land in
grass and feed and craze more stock; take
those counties and even the portion of
counties where there is least blowing and
more grazing done and there you will find
more wealth and thrift than any portion of
the West dare aspire too. Take, for in
stance, the upper portions Of the counties of
Loudoun and Fauquicr, where grazing is
the paramount consideration, and YOU will
find beautiful and rich farms and in intel
ligcnt and independent people, superior to
any portion Of the West. and us it is there
in Loudom and Fauquicr 50 can il he to Il
greater or less extent throughout the entire
Piedmont section. 1.-THE farmer will only
become wise and plow less but graZc more
those lands that refer to rs costing only
about ten dollars per acre and producing
from twelve to twenty bushels of wheat per
acre are the finest clover and timothy lands
to be found anywhere and Succcptahlc of
grazing and fattcning cattle and sheep to
perfection indeed the sheep industry of
this country along the line Of the Y. NJ.
Railway through the counties of Fairfax
Prince William, Fauqucr, Culpcpcr and
Orange is and can be made much more
profitable than any agricultural industry
can be made in the West. The ncarness to
the best wool and lamb markets in the
world gives the farmer in Piedmont Eir-
ginia such an advantage over the far away
Western farmer that it amounts to hand
some profit every year.
In confirmation Of what I have said I
will cite one case that occurred only last
year-lSSl. 4 farmer purchased two hund-
red ewes ut Culpcpcr c. H., in the full of
1880. He placed them on his farm and gave
them Just the ordinary treatmcntin the way
of good shelters and moderate feed. The
following summer he shearcd the POO eve
sheep and marketed the wool and 200 lambs
the offspring of the sheep. The sale of the
lambs and wool amounted to about twelve
hundred dollars deduct the cost of 2OO
ewes at 50 per head, is-equal to 5000, and
the feeding and cost ofkecping the sheep for
one year mt 81 per head is equal to 5000 more;
total cost of sheep and keeping deducted
from $1,000, amount of sales of wool and
lambs leaves clear profit Of S400 on our
outlay of$600 and still leaves him with the
200 ewes in possession. Now. what that
gentleman did in 1881 can be done by anv
other good managing farmer who has the
capital to invest in that way and who has
the land to Craze Virginia has timber,
minerals and ores; she has land in abund-
ancc and cheap; she has water and rail
transportation penetrating her every county;
she has an intelligent, hospitable population,
and invites within her borders all who come
with an honest purpose in view, and prom
ises to such, Il cordial welcome and kind
treatment feeling and believing that the
advantages Of location and climate here, arc
equal to any, and superior to many other
sections of the broad United States.
The farmers have been occupied i'll harvest
the present week that politics have scarcely been
mentioned. The hourbonS having exhausted all
their powers and energies and talents III trying to
sccurcnn honorable settlement OF the State debt
and failcd-Ire enjoying fine harvest and
content to leave the matter III the lardS Of the
rcadjusters and their radical allies, and the read
justcrS having the elephant OH their hands are
presume So occupied with the situation that
they are glad of the opportunity of diving
into harvest anything else for Il resting season.
The wheat crop owing to its advanced condition
escaped the attacks of the army worm and milk
weavcl. or green midget it is sometimes called.
but my, the way the wcavel has swept whole fields
of oats is wonderful. In examining a head of late
wheat few days ago, found it covered with that
little parasite. the midget, and also two army
worms engaged i'll the laudablc work of eating the
midgcts. The wheat crop however. taken alto
gcther is the finest made in this section of country
for years. The crop though backward is look
ing well and promises good yield
BOURBON