The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-11-05

| Editorial Correspondence.
BUFFALO LtrtitA SPRINGS, VA,
Nov. 2. 1908.
thine whereof the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary" here, to-
bacco has been the money crop for the
farmer. OF this region. To be sure,
they did not always have the market
conveniences which they have now, for
In the long ago Richmond and Peters
burg we're their market towns and to-
bacco was rolled to market In hogs
heads. Prices then did not range as
high as they do now, Notwithstanding
the low price this season but all things
considered, the farmer then realized
about as much from his tobacco as he
does now.
TIE farmers in this region are wiser
in their management than the farmers
in some parts of North Carolina have
sometimes been. These Virginia
farmers do not count on their money
crop 10 the exclusion of other crops,
and they are thereby independent at
home.
Now is the corn shocking season and
when two farmers meet about the first
thing after the usual INQUIRY after the
health and good Will of each others
families is the question, "Have You
shucked out your corn?" Some two
months from now the question when
they meet will be, "Have you killed
your hogs?".
BY these common salutatlons one
may judge of the independence OF these
farmers. They make their home sup
plies, and that gives them such lnae-
penience that I am told it is not unu-
s.al for the farmers here TO have good
b NIX deposits.
BIT talk about the corn shuckings-
shey are the old time kind and the
prerraratlon of the old time bountliul
cora shocking supper Is the part the
go ii housewife plays in this harvesting
event. At one of the high school COM
MI ncements which l attended last COM
u.sncement season, one OF the pieces
on the programme was named "a
tin king Bee" It represented (faint'y)
an old time corn shocking, and the
bows and girls played their part pretty
well but they called 1t by the wrong
,,;.,,1e. and it WAS in the wrong place
Had they called it "a Corn ShuckIng"
and could have been out In the moon
't'.;at instead of being under the glow
f bright artificial lights it would have
l.e..n more real. Even then they would
have needed contingent OF colored
re ,pe at ore end of the circular "corn
pile" to sing the old time songs. I
haze been to three corn shnckla es
h,ra and at the last one the colored
D .ople RECALLED the Company with some
choice songs of their own kind.
Besides tobacco for a money crop
and corn for bread and TO fatten meat,
many farmers here raise their own
cheat, thuugh this year was not good
.n.e for wheat, they say. Riding across
tie county line out OF Mecklenburg
into Halifax county, 1 found that the
farmers over there raise more wheat
tnan is raised in this immediate com.
II unity.
TOO MANY DEER.
Mr.. Wagstaff, manager Of the springs
xith number Of friends, spent some
days In their hunting camp, and upon
their return they reported some fine
sport in fox chases. They were out te
hunt Reynard exclusively, and cared
fer no game at all. To Jump buck
meant trouble with their dogs for the
deer led them too far away. Some o.
the Scotland Neck hunters would
greatly enjoy getting in these woods
where deer are so thick they trouble
the fox hunters.
VISIT TO THE COPPER MINES.
In company with Mr.. J. S. jenkins
had the pleasure of visiting what il
known as the Highhill copper mine il
, Halifax county near Dan river. Th'
,nine has been operated only a few
> years. The general manager was ava,
aud l could not learn many thing
about the plant. While notices wer,
posted at every entrance of the work
hat 20 person could be admitted
managed to so through aud see th
. whole business from where the ore
j.rked out of the ground to the plac.
/, where the copper concentrates ar
3 ready for shipment. The main shaft O
the mine has been sunk to depth O
s $50 feet. made as though I wou',
r go down into the shaft to make som,
underground Investigation bus m,
S companion would not agree to it. 4
$ cleyer miner who was a foreigner, iron