Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-25
TUCKAHOE'S TALK.
MEETING OF THEIR YARHRRg CLUB AT
BROOK HILL.
A March Day That Was Host Enjoyably
spent-A Report on q Model
Farm.
TFor the Dispatch.l

Tuckahoe Farmers Club was Thursday
the day OF their meeting at Brook Hill
the farm OF the late Mr.. John Stewart
on Brook turnpike, four miles from thu
city. which is now being managed 10y
Mr.. Thomas Pinckney. The day was a
real March one-cold, cloudy, and windy
with slight fall of snow.
The Tuckahoe Farmers we're out II
large numbers, and the inspection of the
splendid farm was really enjoyed not
withstanding the chilly weather
At II o'clock the members began *
assemble at the hospitable mansion Of
the Stewards. The bright, blazing, oper
fires, the pretty jonquils, hyacinths, ge-
raniums, and Gala lilies with which the
tasty fingers OF the ladies had decorated
the handsomely furnished rooms, and
which made the air fragrant with their
perfumes, caused the members to forget
the wintry blasts without.
President B. Puryear presided oyei
the meeting of the club.
The farm contains 800 acres of land,
lying on either side of the Brook turn
pike. The land is undulating, with some
fine meadows. MIR. Pinckney has large
number OF cattle, which he is fattenine
for market, AID which are now in good
condition. His horses embrace some
GOOD specimens, and young thorough
bred colt, the property Of his son, was
much admired. The farm is well sup
piled with all kinds of agricultural I'M
plements.
The garden is in excellent condition,
and there are several greenhouses which
contain many fine plants-among them
large variety of roses, geraniums, Gala
lilies, cape, and other flowers, besides
many varieties Of grapes, banana trees,
&c. These latter are carefully watched
by the ladies of Brook Hill, who see
that they are well cared for.
An admirable report on the farm oil
Mr.. Il. b. Chafiin, written by Frank
Guy, was read by the secretary of the
club in the absence of Mr.. Guy, who was
detained at home on account of sickness.
REPORT on cHATswORTH FARM OF CAPTAIN
r. B. CHAPLIN.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen,-Th
farm lies between James river and the
Osborne turnpike, just three miles below
the city OF Richmond. 1t contains
about five hundred and thirty-seven acres
OF land. 1t is in three sections. That
on the road consists of high table lands,
then beautiful hills and Wales sloping
down to the lowgrounds which lie along
the river for nearly mile. These last
are very rich alluvial lands. All OF the
fields (some eight or TEN have good
springs and streams of running water in
them. II is one,of the best watered farms
| ever saw. The dwelling and barns
are near the turnpike on the higher lands.
The hillsides next the fairgrounds are
wooded. The farm is surrounded by a
high plank fence, and sub-divided into a
number of fields for the perfect con-
venience of grazing stock of different
kinds. There are about six miles of
these fences on the farm. There are
about 200 acres of pasture lands, well set
in six or more varieties OF grass. There
are the upland and billy lands. They
were cut down few years ago, and one
lot was simply dragged and sown with
grass and dressed with lime, the stumps
left to rot, and now this portion con-
sjsts of nice, clean fields well set IN grass,
without ever having been ploughed. An
other large woodland field was cut down,
ploughed once, and sowed in wheat and
grass, and is now nice pasture. Nearly
all OF the small stumps have rotted, leav-
ing only the large ones. which are being
burned with the help OF the small ones,
which are easily Knocked up and carted
TO the large ones. All are burned
together. leaving the fields nice and
clean. The hillsides and valleys have
had the timber cut off and thinned and
were then sowed to grass and are getting
q nice green cover on them, without
cultivation, with its extra labor and ex-
pense. Thus orr friend is making use of
the natural forces and original fertility
of the forest lands TO make green
pastures. lie has conveniently
located lime-kiln on his
main farm road and burns
his own lime from shells hauled from
Richmond AS return-loads whenever his
wagons have to go to the city to carry
hay or other produce With the lime
he top-dresses his grassfelds, helping
them wonderfully. The lowgrounds
are mostly in grass for hay.crops, which
are looking beautiful and bid fair to
make large yields. There are about $50
acres in grass TO NOW, and there is yet a
large surplus OF last years hay on hand
some Is or 100 tons, after feeding for
the winter some $50 head OF cattle and
horses. There is one lot OF thirty acres
in the lowgrounds that was sown in
grass last August in the following guam
titles Two bushels orchard grass, two
bushels Kentucky blue, two bushels tall
meadow.oat, two bushels red-top,
one gallon of timothy. and one gallon
Of clover-seed, and one bushel OF rye.
The stand is very good, but not as per-
feet rs | expected to see, but Captain
Chafin says he thinks the dry weather in
September killed out number of the
young plants. There is not much clover
left, which confirms me in my theory
that the fall is not the best time to COW
clover. think Captain Chaffin told me
he had reseeded the clover this spring.
The rye is looking well and is to be
grazed off soon, but / think it would
have been better to have left out the rye.
The lowgrounds lie beautifully for
drainage. They are high next to the
river and the hills and low in the middle,
and have nice fall from the upper to
the lower end, and two good streams of
running water in them, one crossing
over to the river and the other running
in the middle down to the lower end.
Near this run are some low springy spots
that are being underdrained with stone,
and then all will be nice and dry. This
land is very rich and capable of pro-
ducing from fifty to seventy-fiye bushels
of corn per acre. 1t made last year over
sixty bushels. Nature has done much TO
make this o splendid stock-farm, and
Captain Chaffin is utilizing these adj
vantages for all they are worth. AS you
approach the dwelling from the river
along nice graded road running up q
ravine alongside of a bold stream
that is being added to from
little rills and springs on either
side, just before you get up the
hill you find two nice fish-ponds, one
on each side OF the road. One is
stocked with California trout and the