Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-25
OUR COM0Rh LETTER.
.APrD DEPLETION OF
FORESTS ny sAw-MILLs.A
l VERY SERIOUS MATTER.
SothinE Remains Nat saplinEs ana
the Day May Come. When Fuel
wan BE sadly Needed-whe..
Crop Un..tisfactory.
Nat saplings and

CONFORM. KING GEORGE COUNTY,
VA. January Especially 1.-THE forests
sf this county are SO rapidly succumbing
. the tmberman's axe that our people
nay be confronted by something Of
fuel famine before many more winters
ave passed. Nearly every body Of woods
between the Potomac and Rappahannock
.ivers had been cleaned and regieaned OF
marketable wood and timber before the
summer Of 1900. and It looked as II the
timber men would have TO find other
fields in which to operate. or else go out
OF the business. But new methods were
introduced. Steam saw mills superseded
tho dme-honored hewing-axe and Cross;
cut saw, and very soon the huge old for.
est trees that could not be worked
by the old methods were being converted
into railroad ties and cord wood by steam
power.
Since early IN the summer Of 1900 the
steam saw mill whistle has resounded
In all directions. from river to river.
There are but few farms in this section
which have not furnished site for ono
Of these mills, and In some neighborhoods
every patch Of trees has been cut
down and sawed into ties and wood to be
shipped away.
NOTHING REMAINS BUT SAPnINGS.
Thousands of trees-ugly. crooked,
nany years been passed and left unfit for
any purpose whatever. have been dis
xected" and converted into something
TO SELL, and some neighborhoods. hither-
10 little else than dense forcs,s, with only
here and there an opening are now
almost as destitute Of old standing trees
as If great fire had swept over them
and felled everything standing in its
) way.
Many OF the patches of oak and pine
originally reserved for f1rewood are now
furnishing material for saw mills, and
z large percentage OF the fuel being used
here this winter, consists Of the laps and
limbs cut from trees untitled by the
saw mills. Some few of the landowners
have saved wood. but as a rule nothing
remains here now but young, small green
pine trees tsaplinss) to be used as fuel
the coming winters.
Not only has nearly all Of the good
oak and pine been sawed up and market
ed. but vast quantity Of the chestnut
sinber has been converted into railroad
Ties and shipped North, SO that barbed
wire must take the place of chestnut rails
for fencing purposes. The good old chest
nut rail fences must soon be a thing OF
the past
TIE WHEAT UNSATISFACTORY.
The condition of tho wheat crop is not
as satisfactory just now as 1t was sew
eral weeks ago. The stand" is unusu-
ally good, and up to the LIST Of the pres
ent month was all that could be desired.
but continuation of hard freezes. IN
the absence Of snow. has proved detri-
mental to the crop. Some of the. best
farmers here contend that plenty Of
snow is quite essential TO a good wheat
crop, and declare that If the weather
continues very cold. without snow, until
the 10Th Of February, the yield of wheat
Will be considerably reduced.
Notwithstanding the fact that all classes
are benefited by good yields of grain
the farmer who has crop of wheat is
about the only individual hereabouts who
IS ,.hankering" after a deep snow just
now.
q FINE OLD VIOLIN.
The Dispatch's 'Comorn man was
bus Stainer violin. which was made IN
the year 1911. The old instrument is IN
a, fine state Of preservation, and its tone
can hardly be surpasse.. Its material,
workmanship, shape, etc, indicate that
It was. In its day and 'Eineraion,' first
class IN every detail.
Several King George farmers have a
good deal of corn still in the field. I'M
Bhucked. and the birds and varrnints
Bround them are faring pretty well. When
labor was scarce and disposed to be in
dependent last fall, some of our farmers
resolved to be independent too, by adopt
Ing the modern corn-husAer and steam
power. but 1t appears that the great
sabor-saring machinery did not pan OUT
satisfactorily In some cases. Just why,
kas not been explained Little is known
IN the subject beyond me fact that I'M
Shucked corn remains IN the field
SAW MILL AT HAMPSTEAD.
1lr. William P. Stephens several day.
l&c moved his saw mill plant from the
tso neighborhood. near here. to body
II woods near Hampstead, where he is
operating two saw mills making railroad
hes, lumber, etc.
Mr.. John J. Grigsby. one Of King
Eeorge's prosperous merchants has COM
pIeted his commodious residence at
white Hall" near Machodoc Creek, in
the lower part of the county
There have been hall dozen or more
different drivers on the mail route from