Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-16
NICHOLS SUMS 1T Up.
JOHN w. NICHOLS TELLS WHAT
HE THINKS OF OLD VIRGINIA.
He Spent Month There and Gives "A Dis
interested Account of the Conditions
and Possibilities for the Benefit of Those
Who Contemplate Emigrating

vestlgate the advlsability of emigrat-
ing thereto. Since his return, he fur
nishes us the following interesting
account of the advantages aud disad-
vsntages Of that section of the country:
apparently the native farmers of
Virginia are behind the times. The
wheat looks well, however, though the
| acreage is small.
"The soil is very red, giving an ap
pearance quite novel to a northern
man. The soil in that part of Virginia
which | visited, has a good red clay
sub-soil. A high state of cultivation is
possible, because of the sub soil. The
country between Roanoke and Lynch
burg ls very mountainous. Roanoke
has population of $4,000 She has
made herself and died within the last
ten years. The whole city is for sale,
trade or rent The people of Lynch
burg seem TO be prosperous In this
section the mountain sides are farmed.
On the mountain side you see negro
and an OK blowing
81 next visited South Boston in Hall.
fax county. The county is fair sgri-|
cultural land-in the river bottoms
there is some fine land, but the rivers
sometimes overflow. One crop lost in
ten years by overflow is the average
South Boston Is a great tobacco town.
Tobacco is all sold at auction. The
grower takes his tobacco to a sale house
and auctions it off. There are plenty
of buyers there.
"Corn was knee high in May, while |
was there. There were some new po-
tatoes already Wild strawberries,
blsckberries, dewberries, grapes, mul-
berries and plums are in abundance.
Plenty of peaches, apples, pears and
cherries.
"Much of the land is in timber and
good deal is only good FOR woods and
pasture. Price of land ranges from So
to SO per acre. The so land lays
near the towns.
"The country is well supplied with
churches. In fact, If one is TO Judge Dv
the number of churches, | conclude
that heaven is just as close to Virginia |
as to Indiana.
There is plenty of soft water They |
have the noted Lithia water, which is
sent north for medical purposes.
"Rivers and small streams are numer-
Gus. Fishing is fairly good 1 caught |
five eels IN one day.
"They have very good schools in the |
towns and cities, but III some localities |
In the country there are no schools. |
This is because OF the large plantations,
the owners of which send their children |
to the cities
"The climate is splendid. They es-
cape the long, severe winters of the |
\ Orth and the severe heat of the South. |
The winters are only about two months |
In duration. Ice seldom freezes more
than two inches in thickness. TEN
perature lowered around zero last
winter, the cOldest in many years. 1t
is great custom to wear your coat in
public places in Virginia-nO matter
how hot it is
"At the foot of the Blue Ridge noun
tains, fruit is the money crop. Wood
is the principal fuel. Many hotels have
wood fire-places, some taking wood
five feet in length.
"The people of Virginia are as a
class very clever. and as kind-hesrted
as any people | have ever met. They
seem to delight in making stranger
feel at home. They are polite, edu-
Gated and well informed on most all
topics except farming. There are some
exceptions, and their large crops show
the possibilities of the country. The
most of the farmers look TO the To-
baccO crop as the only money crop
but in my humble opinion tobacco
growing is now and has always been
curse TO the country, as old tobacco I
growers have long ago come to the :
conclusion that clover and grasses were
sn injury to tobacco You will find
thousands of acres with no grass The
ground will not take naturally TO 1
grass without sowing the seed.
"Land Is cheap, think, because Of
he changed conditions since the war.
Instead of negroes working under 1
)oss, as before the war, the whites de l
erted to the cities, leaving the negroes
With the farms. They had no money [
ind progress was slow. if at all Farm :
lands only get 40 cents a day and |
BOARD, or so cents and they will board {
themselves. A good tirst-class cook [
works for $3.50 per month. Z
"Some people try TO farm on shares
With one horse or OK and sorry lob
hey make of it. There is an oppor
unity for young men with means in
irginla. BY using the cheap labor ,
here, money certainly can be made if ,
he farms are properly handled. ,
"The aboye is a description of the
arming conditions In Old Virginia as ,
learly as l was able to sum it up. !
"JoHN w. NICHOLS,
Irwin Lake, Ind" II