The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-24
small Farms.
Lynchhurg Advanced


THE RICHMOND lMls is right One crying
need OF Virginia agriculture to-day is the sub
dlyisiD n Of larmi1g lands. No one can travel
through certain sections Of tins state without
being struck with the general aspect of thrift
lessuess. The dllapidated fences the uu-
painted, tumbied-down houses. the field,
grown up with bushes and brers the bitches
choked and filled mp. all tell too plainly OF neg
lect 81 insufficient labor and capital In the
ante-bellum days the dominant desire ot the
Virginia farmer was 10 increase I'M, land hold
lngS. 10 add acre % acre until be could feel him.
self the lord Of "a vast domain. The young farmer
who began life with farm of three or four
hundred acres and few slaves usually found
after few yea that be must buy more land
10 employ hs increased force OF labor. and so
n he could not obtain contiguous land he es-
taDli-hed what was known as a quarter plan
tatlOn. Alter few more years OF success the
same operation had % he repeated. The I. sl-
ton Ot the Crnf leman farmer was an enyable
one. lie lived IA comfort aud aifucnce. and
was usually o man Of weight and influence Ia
society and in politics. Ills income
was assured. and he was able 10 educate
his children and live in a manner cougenial %
his tastes aud habits With The Wal and
emancipation everything was changed Tho
farmer could no longer control his labor The
neglected or half cultivated farm NO longer
Yields certain income. Land Is not now
regarded ~ the most desirable because the
most stable investment Many Of the former
labOrers have hOckcd 10 the towns and cities
or gone 10 the mines, and public works
attracted by higher wages than the
farmer can pay. SD that the man who de-
ponds upon hired labor 10 cultivate bis large
farm will often meet with disappointment
The remedy Is 70 cut up these large estates
and sell 10 thrifty intelligent men who viii
cultivate these small holdings with but little
hired labor. The man who can ran his farm
with the assistance of his own boys while his
wife and daughters perform all the domestic
duties Of housekeeping ought 20 be IA thrifty
as Well as an independent man. Just such
men are needed % restore prosperity % agrl-
culture IN all counties Of this section. With
such cultlyators We should not 50 often hear
the question repeated AL nauseum. Does
farming pay. Farming does pay 10 always did
pay and always will pay when conducted iu-
telligently and industri0usly. One OF the dis
cOuraglng symptoms OF the times is the con-
tinual rush of the rural population 10 the
cities Men born and bred on the farm who
know something OF farming II they know any
thing. abandon their native soil IN disgust
and rush TO the crowded city to seek fortunes
in vacations OF which they know nothing
and in which they must compete with
trained skill and intelligence What Won
der if the last state of that man is worse
than the first! In most cases % wiser plan
would be for the embarrassed farmer 10 sell
the major part OF his big plantation. use part
OF the purchase money 10 supply himself
with improved Implements and fertilizers,
and live stock. then take OF his coat and 90
10 work with the determination 70 succeed ON
his diminished area. In nine cases out OF ten
his small farm thus managed would produce
more. would return him more clear cash than