The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-19
JOY IN VIRGINIA
FARMERS HEARTS.
Fine Cropsof Tobacco With Pros.
poets for Handsome Prices.
.pRIMlNes PAY FOR FERTILIZER RI
This Money Was Usually Given 70 =
Women and Children or Leaves
Left to Rot-Mortgages TO 6e
Shaken This Winter.

Shaken This Winter.
Things are bright In old Virginia NV.
This is particularly true OF the ~ 60
farmer, who has had such marc eli.is
since the war. People far 10 .ne NJ
and the south think of the Old Doii'i1iJ =.
as mainly a tobacco-raisins STATE.
the light of the immense qua1i.its
wheat and corn grown IN tue ii. A'
west, Virginia as grower u
staples is forgotten. AND ehe ga
must be admitted to hast lost pie'uS
here The time was once "hen nc
wheat of MISSIONER, the nome u eie
Byrds, Shirley. the home OF the lar
tiers and Berkeley the home OF the Har-
risons. was known far and wide and
none considered SO fine. These rlch
lands along the James still grow thous-
ands of bushels Of the noble gram, out
the palm has gone west with the
course of empire.
But there is a commodity IN "nich
Virginia holds her place among the
States of the Union. Tobacco IS neI
staple Tobacco is no mean source OF
her. wealth. She is the greatest To-
bacco-producing State OF the group IN
which the weed is grown. Some years
here planters do well. some very poorly.
When the latter story is the true one
it IS then that the mortgage becomes
an annex to the old homestead ana the
city commission merchant. out OF the
goodness Of his heart and With thoughts
on next years crop Of tobacco, supports
the planters families. But again comes
year when the crop Is good and once
in a while when the prices are good. For
: 80 49,, he3y IA
mating and the mortgage has remained
The planter has kept even with current
expenses. But things are changed this
time Colors are changing. There is
brighter light over field and wood. and
there is brighter light on the farmers
oft-times worn and haggard faces. The
truth has already been guessed. Fine
crops and fine prices have met.
A little while ago, the Virginia farmer
got his quotations from his commission
merchant They said that the American
Tobacco Company and the Imperial To-
bacco Company both had buyers on the
Richmond market and they were looking
hungrily at every scrap of leaf, dark or
bright and IA eyed though it might be.
that came before their eyes. An old far
nler in Powhatan county who used to
sell tobacco before the war" received
this information and he cut his prim-
/ ings'' and took them to market tor the
benefit of the wife and children. me
..priminss'' are the leaves which grow
near the bottom of the tobacco stalk
/ They are always ragged and small. MANY
farmers never think of gathering them.
Few of the large planters do. And 1t mas
| been an honored custom with many #larih-s
/. ers to cut the pl'imngs, sell them Tor
| what they would bring and turn the
| change. small 1t usually is, over TO the
/ ladies and children. The farmer, himse1'
i would think lightly of so insignificant a
/ twenty-five cents a hundred pounds
..yyifess,, said the old planter, see
"n,imings'' is up. believe L II take yo1lrn
We did so and they brought 81 for every
hundred pounds. The old man was SO
/ happy he didn't know what to DO Win
i himself His two horses could not 'aHe
him back home fast enough. he tolo
i his wife first and then all ms heishpol i =
/ This wife claimed the money as usual
+t,a husband reasoned with her. and
! ,ood wife that she was, she even fell III
LET me keep the bulk Of it," he said:
..1,1I nav for. the fertilizer with 1t, ana
n1avbe I'll make enought OFF the crop
I 10 nav the last dollar of the mortgage
1 we've been trying to get rid OF ever since
we mt it on soon after came out OF
the army. Then when Gle. / IL lease
Won the old place unencumhefed.
The wife agreed. She took inc .sua,
* cents for the clothes for herself ana
4 +ba children. all OF whom are grown
/ ,.o,,np ladies. and the old man kept the
| remainder.
/ This ease will serve for the rest. AL
i took their primings to Richmond and s..
/ 81. IS. and as high as 50 We're received Tor
4 this portion of he crop usually wasted,
or as good as given away
The prinings have been sold now, the
i fertilizer bills have been paid In the
/ barns of the planter hangs, free from
4 The danger of the frost and all that can
1 damage and lessen its value one or
i the largest land finest crops OF TOBACCO
i produced by the Virginia soil since the
/ var The unexpected happened. In
/ Jn1v it was said that hardly more than
lbalf n crop would be made. The sum
NOR was cool The season was wet and
i tie farmers scratched their bushy old
/ heads and thought they would have to
i suck their paws for the next winter
1 One old pessmist said:
i THAT was a pretty good crop We had
4 st wear after ALL and the prices We're
i all right and knew we was going TO
get paid back for it, lie is getting paid
/ back for it now Notwithstanding his
4 croakings that old fellow has IN ms pine
4 log tobacco barns one of the finest cut
Z tings of dark tobacco that ever was crop
I ped from the lands OF Caroline county
i Tic season changed in the nick o. Tune.
4 I7ro,7, cool il became warm and moist
5l5not too DIR. and not dry in long spells.
i Either would have been disastrous. But
for once the farmer was forced to do
i something that he is loathe to do at any
i time where there is ANYTHING at stake
/ admit that he couldn't have selected bet
Il ter weather himself. The thin and yell
a 1owish leaves upon a weak stalk became
q. dark green and thick like flannel and
Il heavy as the branches of tree. And
d here was a distinct ADVANTAGE gained. The
u flnes. il. ne leaf had been dwarfed by the