The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-22
The Times Have Changed ands
the Farming World Has
Changed With Them.
THIS CITY WAS QUICK
TO CATCH ON
Business Is Done Here.
in Supplying Southern Farm
crs With Up-to-Date Ma
clhinery That Takes
the Place Of the
Negro.

What Is Richmond doing? In one Inns n
at least It seems to be doing very good
missionary work. Croakcrs do not kro W
IL. and do not scem to care to find It NJ
out, but the fact Is that Richmond is
supplying the whole southern and SOUTH
eastern part Of our country with up-to-5
date farming implements, and thereby X
is not only doing great business that #
keeps hundreds Of men employed and
brings a great deal OF money to this XII
money center, but incidentally aducates
Virginia and Southern farmers general 'rtl ysS
I'D to modern IDEAS and keeps them IN 81
line with the most progressive agrlcultu- a
raj sections of the country 3335
Farming Implements.
This story will deal with the business Inc: =
of farming implements and farmers
supplies. In this column has been told
from Sunday to Sunday the story OF
Richmond $ greatness In many lines the me II
banking facilities. unsurpassed by any any "
Scty@of modern, days. theSadvantages4 OF h
railway trnnsportat tion, the Ehustlng apil-
tiles OF. Rlchmonds 1--we merchants. the
natural and acquired advantages of Rich II
fnond as n great distributing point Tor
|fall lines {pf goods have been; set fortll,
4 hut 1T Is sprobabek that no Fsichm ond5 en-
| terprise Is more deserving Of the q en- n.
lithusiastic support and announcement netl
OF Richmond people and Southern peo-3
pie generally than that now Under. uls7 q a
cusspn. II 4l n .t. III Fi
Tho dealers in farming implements and
farmers supplies are not only enEa gedi
in a business that Is worthy OF com-
mendatlon, but they are naturally educa-
tors Men WHO arc not yet old can re- s. n
member very distinctly the ancient met
| otls Of farming: the sone-horse ploW,&the
hand scythe, the old wheat cutting crsss-SS
! die, the wedding hoe, and all the other
| rrimitive methods are familiar to the
! older men of to-day. Virginia and North
| Carolina and tho entire South have
| walked up in the last few years and mod
crn methods apply to farming as we'll as
(, to other industrial lines. Necessity Is
rigid teacher
AS It. Was and Now Is.
In tho old times negro labor was cheap
and ever present. These things have
| changed The negroes have deserted tho
| Virginia farms and have scattered thenl-
Selves throughout the Western and North
crn sections of tho country. labortng In
mines and on railway extensions, and
thousands of thcm have reached what
seems to be the height OF their ambition
| by becoming walters In Northern and
I Western hotels and restaurants. The
y old-tme farm laborer has ceased to be
a aborer and has donned his White apron
and is n hotel waiter. The Southern
farmer had to supply his place IN some
way or some other. and he seems to
| have found his relief In la bor-savlng ma
! chinery and the modern farm imple-
mcnt In the Old days the only thing IN
| the shape OF farming implements used
| In Virginia and sold from Richmond Job-S
| bing houses and factories was the plow.
| Now and then harrow was Sod and
occasionally a threshing machine. But
ono threshlng machine did all the work
in It's line for q half dozen counties. and
the business OF manufacturing and sell-
Ing OF farming implements was side
| Issue with the corner grocer or the cross
road country store. Times have changed,
and Virglnians and southerners have
changed with them. I1abor-savlng ma
chncry has invaded tho farm as we'll a s
tho factory. and to-day Richmond does
an immense business in supplying the
farmers of the South With modern, up
to-date farming implements.
A Growing Business.
eThis business has grown to immense
| proportions. and as Richmond is a natu-