The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-08-20
The Rich Southwest.

The Rich Southwest.
A writer in the Richmond Dispatch,
over the signature of "Araminta, y and
dated at Wytheville, August IL, says:
MINERALS.
1t is said there are IRON, lead, zinc,
copper, manganese, and coal-mines salt
in abundance, plaster used as fertilizer
inexhaustible, and in some places plum
bago, marble, and some gold, as well as
magnificent forests of oak, chestnut, pop
lar, walnut, hickory, and the like. All
along the line of the Norfolk and Western
railroad iron ores in abundance are to be
found-that is, in Wythe, Smyth, Wash
ington, Grayson, Carroll, Floyd, Pulaski,
Montgomery, Bland, Tazewell. Russell,
Lee, and Scott; on Cripple creek, in
Wythe, lead and zinc are to be found !;
coal in the northern portion of the county,
in Brush mountain; also in the counties
of Bland, Tazewel, Wise, and Scott, with
some on the edge of Russell copper in the
counties Of Grayson and Carroll, and on
t1lO 1NO4 VII Nd1O1luC 11AO 6O1U LII VuO OAuO
Ridge mountains. near Auburn, on the
south side of Montgomery county, and
from there on to North Carolina. At
Auburn the mining of gold is being pur-
sued with success salt and plaster in
Smythe and Washington.
At Saltville, on the line of Smyth and
Washington counties, are located the
great salt-works, the property of Stuart,
| Palmer & Co. There are several wells,
and the supply is said to be inexhaustible.
In these, before you reach the water, there
| is an immense salt rock, and beneath it a
vein of water. In getting to the water in
the wells, which is done by machinery,
you pass through this bed of salt rock,
which is from forty to one hundred feet
thick. The DRAWINGS from this rock fall
| into the water and keeps up it's strength.
The water is SO thoroughly impregnated
with salt that you may take a handful of
salt, throw it into a bucket of water taken
from the well, and it will remain at the
bottom of the bucket without dissolving.
This property was first discovered by a
man named King, eighty years ago. Dur
ing the late war the main supply of salt
was furnished the Confederate Govern
ment from these works.
| Plaster, which is used for fertilizing
purposes, is also found in abundance in
this locality, and the supply is looked upon
as inexhaustlble. Some years ago in
Locust Cove, fifteen miles from Saltville,
a shaft 10 feet square and 500 feet deep
was sunk for the purpose of striking salt
water, but when in about four feet of its
bottom it passed through solid bed OF
plaster.
CATTLE.
| The great interest of the farmers of this
section is that of grazing cattle. Their
lands are finely adapted to grass for graz
ing in summer, and to the production of
hay. corn, and other forage for feeding in
winter. The grazer proper is the owner
of large boundaries of fine grass lands, on
which he grazes cattle in selected lots.
Among the largest graziers hereabouts is
Mr.. William A. Stuart, of Russell, part
owner of the salt-work. He has several
stock-farms in Russell county, and grazes
each season for market about 1000 head of
fat cattle that weigh on an average about
/, 400 pounds. This does not include calves
and mich COWS. There are other stock
raisers, but the number they Craze is small
as compared to that of Mr.. Stuart. His
grazing lands in this county are said to be
valued at $400, 900. In TaZewell county
which is one of the wealthiest counties in
Southwest Virginia, large numbers Of
cattled are shipped. The principal people
engaged in this business are Mr.. Robert
Lawson and Mr.. William Cooper. They
own an extensive tract of land and graze
from 300 to 500 head season. Joseph w
Meek, who is the owner of a large farm al
Burks Garden. grazes about 200 head
There are several other large stock-raisers
Mr.. George Gose, Mr.. Ned Piery, Mos
Brothers, and others that average from 10I
to $50 head of cattle. In the lower end o.
| the county Robert Barnes is large stock
raiser, and there are besides number Of
small ones that Craze from 10 to rs.
| In Washington county Mr.. James M
Byers, near Glade Springs, grazes about
200, and George W. Palmer, Esq, who il
one of the principal owners of the sab
works, several hundred head, but he give!
most of his attention to blooded stock
, Upon his stock farm are to be seen large
herds of short-horns, Jerseys and Hol
|, stems. At Seyen-Mile Forge Messrs. Jno
and Charles Preston and number O.
others in other sections Of the county
average from twenty to forty head. II
Wythe county, which is one of the richest
in the Southwest, there are number D
large cattle-raisers and some of the larges
and finest stock-farms in this section
! One of the largest stock -raisers is Mr.. Jas
II. McGovick, who is the owner OF tina
: valuable farm known as Fort Chiswold
which contains about 1900 acres of land
1t is divided into convenient-sized field
and nearly its entire acreage is in grass
, The number of cattle gazed by him TO
market are several hundred. At Max
meadows there are also several large stock
) farms, and each of them Craze larg
! number of cattle. The owners o
these farms are Messrs. James Crock
EFT. Sam. Crockett. McGoyich Bros
. Thomas Summerman, Joseph Kent, an
Mp. Oglesby. At Graham Forge are tn
stock-farms of Messrs. John w. Robertso
and James P. Graham at Jackson ferry
: in the same county. Messrs. William Rs
t per and H. S. Mathews near Max
Z meadows, Messrs. Wythe Graham and Z
4 D. Hull; at Wytheville, Robt. G. Kent
]! In this county, also, there are number Q
= smaller graziers.
j In Bland county, which is one OF tn
8 smallest in the Southwest, Mr.. Harma
: Newberry is the largest grazier, and is th
owner Of large tract Of land, GOVERN