The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-11-03
HOG AND HOMINY
Virginia Farmers Do Not De-
pend On Tobacco.
Visit to Copper Mine on Dan River---Story of
An lntere stirg Old Woman Ninty
Three Years Of Age.

Buffalo Lithia Springs, Va, Oct. 81
II you ask a farmer here how long to-
bacco has been the money crop he Will
crop as long as ne can remember, and his
father before him cultivated it as a
money crop. The farmers here think and
speak OF their tobacco just as the North
Carolina farmer thinks and speaks of cot
ton. But they show wisdom IN not count
ing as completely Oh their money crop az
some North Carolina farmers do. They
follow the true system of independence.
and raise their farm supplies at home +
am told that quite a good proportion OF
the farmers here have money in bank,
and their home independence explains II.
When two farmers meet here now about
the first inquiry is, Have you shucked
out your cOrn?' Two months from now
when they meet the inquiry Will be, Have
you killed your hogs" They shuck thor
corn here by helping ea h other just as
they did fifty years ago, and are re
called by the songs of the colored people
who help much like they did in the
olden time. Besides tobacco for a money
crop and corn for bread and to fatten
meat, the farmers also raise wheat, but
[ have observed that across the line IN
Halifax county they raise more wheat
than they do here.
Now and then a few persons spend q
few days on a hunt. Manager Wagstaff,
"a the Springs, together with some f~riends,
spent sometime at their hunting camp re
Gently and enjoyed several fox chases.
They We're hunting foxes exclusively, ana
they We're troubled with deer considerably
tn stJnlD q hI1nE' meant annnvanrn VIZ n
the dogs, for III running deer the hounds
were led too far away for I'm.
A visit to the Highill Copper Mine IN
T1aIifaN county was interesting. The
mine has been IN operation only Il few
years. but much work has been done.
The output OF copper concentrates IS
about a ton d day. Some of the macnln-
ery is quite heavy. The mines are near
| Dan River, eight miles from VirgiliE;.
and I am told it took forty-eight mules
and horses, all IN one team, to draw the
engine and boiler from Virginia To 4le
mines. The machinery was so heavy the
| trucks on which it was carried would
! sink into the ground and they had to be
| run on skids a DOT sqaare. Only a few
| feet could be made at a pull and then
| the skids were taken up and placed IN
| front Of the track wheels for another
| short move. 1t took two weeks to make
| the distance of eight miles.
Well, Grandma Blanks" whom I mon
| tened in q recent correspondence fror?
| this place, interests me more and more
every day. Although she is nlaety-thlee
years old, she sings IN a clear tone and
| enfOvs il as long as her niece can hold
| it. She tells about q peculiar school teach
or who long ago taught school here
! abouts. He Knew nothing but what was
in his text books which were perhaps
orlv a s%peller, arithmetic and an old
time dictionary. He planted snap beau
and when the~ come up ne thought the
wrong end OF the bean was out OF the
Ground. so he pulled them up and stuck
hem back reversed. lie tried to be
heipful 70 his wife By setting a hen f"i
her, When he had placed the eggs I'M
der the hen he went in and told his wife
he thought the eggs would hatch we'll fer
ne had ''pipped' them.
"Grandma Blanks" tells about witches
in me oIden time-tow people We're afraid
for certain old women who were called
witches to come into their house. Shl
tells about one witch who was said to bf
able 10 carrg butter 20 market when she
wished. although she did not have any
COW Of her own. '<They said she woulC
! throw a rope around some object ant
milk it as a COW and thus get the mill
from all the neighbours coNs. This Wei
preserved old lady tells these tales OF The
lore ago with the zest and laughter OF on
- middle life. E. E. billiard.