The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-23

prevailed for the past few years, abous
75c. d bushel
Allow me to state a few facts and then
let the public decide whether your corr
respondents statement is correct.
The average yield of peanuts Is a5out
,hirty-tive bushels per acre, at 10 cents
per bushel gives you $26.5 per acre. Put
ting the cost of labor and fertilizer nv
SILL (Which is an eNtravasaHt estl-
Inate) leaves a. net profit OF SD per acre.
auI that, too, on lands that can be nouSh1
at from 50 to $40 per acre. On hlghly-im.
proved lands seventy-tive to one hundrei
bushels are often made
The peanut is easily cultivated tsimtar
TO corn), gathered in the fall and ready
for market, when it IS done with TIL pant
ing season in May. Our lands are lik7
garden soil, free of stone or rocks, easy
to plough and work, whereas the tobacco
crop is an endless chain" Before get
ting through with one crop you have to
prepare for another
l quite agree with your correspondents
as to the adaptabiiity OF the soil OF SIis-
SEX Prince George and Diuwiddle coun-
ties for raising tine bright tobacco. ana thi
fact that the farmers prefer TO PLANE
peanuts is sufficient evidence that pea
nuts are the more profitable crop OF tho
two. Your correspondent SAYS no corp ~
so damaging to land as peanuts, and tina:
farmers would return to their crops OF
corn and wheat but their lands nave been
so impoverished that it Will not grow
them and that the farmers in this see
ton grow poorer every year; IN al tlie
ramifIcation of the peanut business. no
money. has been made out Oh II III VIZ
gina.
Every one who knows anything about
farming is aware of the TACT mat tue
planting of any crop year after year on
the same land impoyerishes II, put otiiyt
the thriftlesS and ignorant do IL. ana tao
tobacco crop is quite as exhaustive 10
the soil as peanuts kne" one iarIi-
err in this neighborhood to sow down
wheat and clover or siXty-seVen acres
OF land after peanuts, from winch Ea
reaped 1850 bushels OF wheat and flner
clover 1 never saw grow LII 9leutiioht oH
I am a. native of Bedford. reared on u
farm and pretty well acquainted VIII
most of the State, and have never hhoWtL
farmers more prosperous, lived better
and more contented with as little work
than in Underwater Virginia. 1 COULD haind
a number of men near our town VINO
bought land from their neiShbors or tain
ers on credit without having u dollar 20
pay on It and who have PAID Tor thcle
farms (some instances in one year, M
vested in town property and are money
lenders.
One such recently told me he had $500
he would like to loan on approved secn-
rity About four years ago u Neofaskitlt
bought Il small farm o. one hundFeu any
thirty acres near this place, Tor WINCH
he paid $500 giving notes, backed oy oh5
of our merchants, and stated ne ohiy na',
thirteen cents in money. The place was
considered the poorest III me ,, nei5I nnfss,
hood. That man has paid ms nj, HTes =
uromptIv also his store accounts, Dulit Il
large barn has good teams and last year
raised nearly 1.O0e bushels OF peanuts
with $40 more than he paid fof 'he idht.
and 500 bushels Of corn worth as hittSt.
as the peanut crop besides having pout-
try, hogs, etc, and supporting wen d
family OF six ,,.,, ,e-e,
trree Years ago. for which he was TO
nav. e. coo He has paid two-thlrds th.i
amount built a handsome ana eohltilo-
dious residence, good Darn. etS-' pro-
duced last year 10 bushes .. 1abici;
besides corn and otner prodac.I Is Whicis
will about clear MIN Of debt. Ihese are
but a few instances OF the prosperity OF
our people. n-o5,c,;o,,
of neanuts. but we have a diversified soil.
capable OF producing a DIVERSITY OF CROPS,
more so than any osner sef ITO n,,ocotot,
or gray with clay sUb-soti, holding wen
Inanures-the light lands adapted 10
peanuts, the SITTER to corn, wheat. oass
and grasses clover and tiHiothy- ~
to fifty bushels of corn ana oats 70 t,to
acre is not uncommon on improved iaus.S.
On nearly every farm are mari PEGS,
which when spread on the iano =
permanent improvement, sho"ns rs
feet for twenty-five or thirty years.
Pears. grapes, berries OF all kinds gro"
10 great perfection and the TRUCKING ous-
mess has grown TO immense piopoi sho.,'.
the potato crop alone last year III 'te
county Of Accomac bringing over r,. ona
million dollars One great adF;ansase e. i' DE
S.t, 10 thar our farmers have something
All e,;ary month of the year. bringing
in money. whereas In other sections 4. .n It
..ar,;o Of 1899 the Norfolk banks did
g[1a have to close down on their custom
ers as other cities did
wayerly, Va. Fep- 10. 1902.