The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-29
WESTERN FARM Frs
GOING TO VIRGINIA
Movement Steadily Growing
in Importance.
LARGE SALES OF LAND
Soil and Climate Admirably Adapted to
Cultivation of Crops of the Most
Diversified Character.

Judging from the reports which are
coming in to the local railroad offices
the long heralded movement of farmers
from the blizzard and drought-ridden
sections of the northwest has begun.
Hundreds of settlers are deserving Min
nesota, some parts OF Wisconsin, and
the Dakotas, and are locating in parts of
Virginia.
The facts were brought to the city
this morning by A. H. Sharp, of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. He said:
IN the last few months land worth
$3.50, 900 has been bought by these farm
ers in the vicinity OF Williamsburg, and
know of negotiations which are now
going on for the purchase OF S65, 900
worth more. The men who are doing
the buying are not spectators. They
are taking the land to farm 1t, and those
who have crops out are more than sat
isfied with the change they have made.
The majority of the settlers already on
the ground come from Wisconsin. They
are a fine and progressive class of peo
pie. Though some are foreigners, the
majority are American. All are practi-
cal men.
Soil Not Exhausted.
''As to the ground there has been
much talk of the exhausted soil of
virginia This idea has been wildly
exaggerated. The ground in the Old Do
minion, as it stands today, is much bet
ter than the average ground in the West.
OF course, there are spots where a lot
of money will have TO be expended 10
get the ground in shape again, especial
ly around Washington. But down in the
James River country the ground has
never been worn out. 1t was magnifi-
Gently productive up to the war, and
much of it has never been farmed since
then. Thousands upon thousands Of
acres are covered with small forests.
which have grown UP since the great
tragedy of the COS. These forests.
naturally, are neither heavy nor impress
sive, because they have not had time
to grow. Yet the man who is not ia
miliar with the true situation is inclin-
ed to think the ground is poor, because
the trees are not as big as those in
the primeva1 forests
Small t0IeSt GIoWtnS.
Mr. Sharp called attention to the fact
| that much of the Arlington farm, nearly
4 all Of the great plantation owned by
| Washington at Mount Vernon. Jeffer-
| sons plantation, and a number of others
| too many to mention, bear no resem-
blance now to what they did while I'M
| der cultivation, because of the growth
| of these small forests.
The trees are usually of the red oak
variety, interspersed with pines. A bush
! like oak called the scrub grows In
vast quantities all over the once tenn
| ing fields. Where this has been cleared
away the ground is found TO be almost
as rich as 1t was when first cleared
decades ago. Some of these farms are
/ in the districts mentioned by Mr.. Sharp.
! Besides the beauties of a mild cli-
mate, there is never any scarcity OF
water as in many parts of the West.
! Wherever there are Virginia hills
there are branches" OF pure and fine
spring water. Then, too, there is water
transportation in addition to the rail-
roads, and there are markets for farm
products almost at the edges of the
| farms themselves.