The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-12-11
signs Of prosperity are not wanting The


signs Of prosperity are not wanting. I'll,
comfortable farm houses, the spaciou!
barns, but most of all the splendid herd!
that thrive and fatten on that succulent
Iblue glass of Natures ever sowing, speaE
| of the plenty in that favored land. The
nutrition of the grass is peculiarly
| of the section. Cattle raised upon it have
4 the firm flesh Of grain-feds. When cut al
its prime, it possesses strength that rem
| ders corn unnecessary, and as a conse
| quence, few cultivated fields are seen
why, said prosperous stock-dealer, Il
can fatten two or three steers and buy al
the stuff / need for bread, and what little
else in that line is required. And what is
the use of worrying about blowing, and
sowing and reaping when you eau get
along twice rs well without it. A half
dozen extra cattle are not much additional
trouble or expense, and when you realize
enoughfrom theprofits of them to buy bread
and bacon for a year do you think we can af-
ford to farm. even if we do have topay more
for what we get in the way of grain and its
products than you city people ~
| The most productive lands of the county
are those of the celebrated ''Crabbottom. =
a stretch of country with comparatively
title bottom" land in it. But it is a Sec
ton the strong limestone soil Of which is
particularly adapted to bluegrass, and
there it grows in all its native luxuriance.
Cut the timber from ole of those hillsides
and in a few years the ground is covered
with rank growth that cattle feed and
fatten Oh and never grow tired Of From
time immemorial this has been one of the
most famous portions of Virginia. Its
| first masters, the indians, knew Of and APP
preeiated its value and fought with des-
perate determination to save it from the
invaders. But the prize was too rich to
be left to the enjoyment of sayages, and
even in that early day many there were
who were willing to brave the dangers Of
the ''bloody ground in order that they
might esta blish for themselves home
stead in Natures own garden spot. And
now although scores of miles from the
railroad, and across dreary waste of
mountains, cut off as it were from the out
side world and fringed in by forests where
the wild beasts roam, these lands sell at
almost fabulous prices when they are sold
at all, which is seldom.
Not long ago young man from the Val
ley was travelling through Crabbottom, and
trying to discover what had given the Sec
tion such reputation. Passing by plot
of land that seemed about an average, and
| not one whit better than many of the
farms along the line Of the Valley Railroad,
he asked a native what the land was worth
per acre.
1.-Two and a quarter was what it sold for
not long ago. but you couldn't get it for
that price now,'' was the reply.
Now you see, "said the stranger, what
you Highland people are missing by not hav
ing railroad. Run line within five
miles of this point and that land woald
readily bring $40 or $50 per acre, instead
of 1926 ~
Forty or fifty dollars r. was the an
swer, Didn't just tell you it eeuldn t be
bought now for five times that much
From $4,000 to S25O.OO per acre is not an
unusual price for some farms about here
and they are dirt cheap at that. The man
who is able to buy and pay for one can lay
back and rest for the balance of his days.
The railroad prospector subsidized. 1t
wasn't any use to try to bluff man that
held a straight flush OF face cards.
But there is another side to the picture.
"Highland county, said lahorer, sis no
place for poor man. Besides herding
cattle, keeping uD fences, hay-making and
occasionally clearing off piece Of timber,
there is not much employment for the day
laborer. and these jobs only come now and
then. Constant work is hard to get, and
everything you eat must be brought into
the county and is sold at the highest price.
Flour for instance, sells here always at
Sl.50 more per barrel than at Staunton
corn costs 50 per cent. more, and is so
scarce that we can t afford to fatten hogs
VA dllu ~ Ou 1itC WlOlC llot VI
farm products. Even the hay which you
see piled up in great stacks sells for about
% per cent. more than in the markets of
the city. paid $4,000 per ton for it this
fall, and notice that the Staunton papers
quote it at $40 to $15. You would sup
pose, too, with all the cattle Of Highland,
that milk and butter would be plentiful.
But you would be mistaken. They are
scarce and if you have to buy them, very
dear. Our stockholders who are the rich
est men of the county and own all of the
best land, think it an unnatural extrav-
agance to waste the milk on people, in
stead of letting it go to the calf. and when
the calf is weaned, they want the COW to
get in good condition at once. The only
things you can get cheap here are eggs,
chickens, wild game, buckwheat, potatoes
and rent. Its an elegant place for the
owners of fat land, but its hard on the
poor"
ii TaQohara' Tnafitufa