Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-04-19
THE TIDE OF GOOD TIMES RISING
In AUGUSTA.

GOOD PRICES FOR BEEF-THE PROSPECT
FOR THE WHEAT CROP-THE AMOUNT
OF WHEAT ON HAND-HIGH PRICES
LOOKED FoR-$1 WHEAT MADE BY
FEEDING TO HoGs-THE HORSE MARKET
II &C., &C., sc.
) Capt. T. G. Morton who is now travel
ling all over Augusta county, sends the
VINDICATOR, under date of April 10th,
the following account of the farmers pros
poets in the county
"The writer has been for several days
driving over that goodly section Of Angus.
ia county lying in and about Ft. Defiance,
Mt. Sidney, Roman, Spring Hill, Mt.
Scion, Messy Greek and Sangersville, and
finds so many evidences of thrift and COM
ing prosperity that he feels impelled to
talk about it through the columns of the
VINDICATOR.
The recent copious April showers have
made the pastures green, and the cattle are
already grazing and picking up flesh and
spirits after the hard winter which has
! told so severely upon them and caused the
bones of some of them to whiten upon the
sod. You see many herds of lank and
rough yearlings and stock cattle vending
their slow way towards the mountain pas
lures and pickings of Highland and Pen
dleton, and you meet every now and then
stocKmen securing the country for beef
cattle. They are glad to get them at and
| a H. al nd A re
for June delivery, after they have taken on
the weight which the fresh and sappy
Spring grass always gives to those which
did not fatten on the grain and hay of the
winter feeding.
''The Spring following, while rather
backward, is rapidly getting ahead and
corn planting in week OF ten days will be
well under way. The wheat looks exceed
ingly well everywhere, and having been well
wrapped up in it's snow blanket during so
much of the hard winter weather, now
happily past. has suffered but little, and
the farmers wear smiling faces as they
tell you their crop never looked better and
that they expect good prices next summer
and fall.
"There is scarcely any wheat now on
hand; much less than usual at this time
of the year. 1t has been fed to the hogs by
the thousands Of bushels. In all this Sec
ton [ can hear Of only some $500 bushels,
and that in. the hands of four men-Mr.
Peter johnson OF Mt. Sidney, 1000 bushels;
Capt. Jas. Fl. Todd of Mt. Scion. 800;
Hugh and Henry Hannah of Mt. Scion,
500, and John Eavers of Centreville, 500 to
| 600 bushels; and they are not disposed to
sell at ruling prices. | heard Mr.. Johnson
refuse &C cents; he said he would not be
came again. The same scarcity is said to
prevail in the West from the same cause;
it has been fed to the stock, and the mills
are grinding on short time on account of
it and must have limited supply until
another crop is made. On the other hand
the stock is in good condition from their
winter feeding on wheat, and hogs are in
good condition and bringing cents gross.
One good farmer said he was sure that his
wheat, which he had fed to his hogs, had
|
''Good prices are expected for Spring
lambs, the usual number having been cut
down by losses during the severe weather
in the early Spring, and farmers are be-
ginning to shear their sheep already in
order to benefit the lambs which are ex-
pected to bring dollar more in May than
they did at the same time last year.
1.-THE horse market also shows consid-
cradle advance, and good many went from
this neighborhood Monday, Rockingham
court day, to the Harrisonburg market. In
Chicago the prices have gone away up
yonder, owing chiefly to the foreign de-
mand and there is an expectation on the
part of steckmen that they will be called
upon to supply horses to the German mar
ket to take the place OF beef, which has be-
come SO scarce and high that the poor peo-
pie in that country cannot buy it and are
said to be buying horse meat freely, pay
ing from to 10 cents per pound, while
beef ranges from 20 to 25 cents, and much
the larger class of consumers in that coun-
try are the poor. Altogether. the outlook
for the farmer is bright and frightening.
and, as we all know, where the farmers pros
per every interest thrives. 1t is assuredly
a fact as the VINDICAToR of last week so
pointedly remarks The tide is still
rising. J"