Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-03-31

when L brought $50 and $50 in the
market others began to turn their atten-
ton to the business.
THE ToBAcco-rARM.
Among the first to appreciate the adj
yantages Of the new industry was
George w. Palmer. Esq. of the Salt
Works. After q tentative crop or two
Mr.. Palmer invested largely in tobacco
growing and established what is known
all through the country around as the
- tobacco-fsrm." This farm comprises
hundreds Of acres OF tillable land on
Chestnut Ridge, much of it in high
state Of cultivation--a moderate applica-
ton Of fertilizer only being necessary.
There are twenty-five neat close barns,
two large prizing-barns. and boarding
house for the employees, and the whole
is in charge Of an experienced tobacco
grower from eastern Virginia. A gen.
tleman tells me he has seen as many as
fifty hands at work on this farm at one
time. Last year Mr.. Palmer made 49,
600 pounds Of yellow tobacco which he
sold at s2o.75 round, realizing over
sll,0O0 for his crop. This year his
crop now in the house will reach about
10000 pounds, and he is arranging for
a crop Of about 100000 hills, or eighty
acres.
Mr.. BENJAMIN Smith, Nelson man.
has Just purchased from Mr.. Palmer,
at about sl5 per acre, . fine farm Of
COO acres on "the Ridge and will
put out 100000 hills. The northern
exposure of this land, which is very
rolling, is black loom and fine wheat
and corn land. A number Of old set
tiers living along this ridge are going
into tobacco-planting, and their clear
ing, fence and BODYBUILDING, and
plant-bed preparations. present busy
scene along the mountain-side. The
tobacco is cured with flues, large iron
pipes, and furnaces, and the business,
which as yet seems only in its infancy,
promises to be an important interest in
this section and to add much to the
trade and prosperity Of Abingdon and
Bristol, where warehouses and facto-
ries have gone into operation, and
where the tobacco finds convenient and
ready market. Saltville is the point
from which this tobacco Is now shipped,
and as all the hauling is done over the
Norfolk and Western railroad. that
roads interest will also be much bene-
fitted by the new trade.
ANOTHER TOBACCO SECTION.
Another section much larger in ex-
tent is also opening up to the tobacco
growers. This is called the Poor Val
ley--a rather uninviting name. but used
in contradistinction to the Rich Valley,
which runs OIL the other side Of Chest
nut Ridge. Poor Valley extends from
Burk's Garden mountain, in Tazewell,
through portions, Of Smyth and Russell,
down fifty miles into Tennessee. The
soil is light and thin, and among these
grazing-men Of the Southwest the Sec
ton has been in disrepute until recent
ly, when the success Of the tobacco-men
OH Chestnut Ridge had to experiment
with tobacco in Poor Valley. where the
result has been highly encouraging, and
the tobacco brings even higher price
than that grown on the Ridge. reaching
even to SIS and 500 per hundred. The
land is very cheap. much Of it selling at
50 to s. per acre. but being so pecu-
liarly suited to bright tobacco, 1t can
not be many years before 1t will be
filled up with thrifty, prosperous peo-
pie. Another surprise to me was that
killing frosts do not visit this section
any sooner than they do other tobacco
regions in Virginia.
THE LUMBER INTEREST.
The snow has not left the mountains
of Southwest Virginia yet. A gentle
man from the laurel bed at Mt. Plea
SAINT, in Russell county, not more than
eight miles from here, reports that the
snow on the north side Of the noun
tains was one foot deep on the Goth in
slant. The lumber operations in that
section are much retarded by this un-
usual weather. Mr.. Peasants. Of Bal
timore, lumber pioneer in that noun
tain region. has made well-graded
road over the mountains TO the valley
Of the laurel-beds, where there is
wealth of wild cherry. The lumber is
so fine and valuable that it cannot fail
to attract more attention from lumber
men in the near feature.
CROP PROSPECTS.
Farmers and graziers are low-spirit-
ed on account of the poor prospect for
wheat and the backwardness of the
pastures, and corn is getting very dear.
The few people in the country who have
corn for sale are getting one dollar per
bushol at their cribs. Parties are
shipping seed-oats here from Chicago,
and preparations are making for an I'M
usually large crop of that grain to COM
pensate in some measure for the failure
in wheat, which does not seem TO pro-
mise fourth Of crop now.
The drought of last fall made the
sowing so late that the wheat did not
get well rooted before the winter set in,
and the hard freezes. when the Their
mometer was often down in the neigh
borhood Of zero and below, following
one after the other, have in some fields
and on the northern exposures of other
fields killed literally all Of the wheat.
1t is down dead upon the surface of the
ground. roots and all |; or where it still
sticks in the ground the top is as dead
and liielcss apparently as broom-sage
field in winter.
FLOWING UP wHEAT-FIELDS.
Some farmers are ploughing up their
wheat-fields and sowing them in oats
or preparing them for tobacco or corn.
Others, not quite so hopeless, say that
this is premature, and that they cannot
tell yet just what the wheat stand will
be. Others again are sowing oats on
their wheat land and narrowing it in.
They hope thus to be at least sure Of
an oat crop, and If much wheat comes
some of them will separate the wheat
and oats after it is threshed. Others
contemplate using the mixed crop
for feed for their stock next