The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-22
Virginia Farming.

In the early part OF 1902 a representa-
tive of The Richmond Times took q
swing around the "Black Belt" for the
purpose of studying social and industrial
conditions In that section of Virginia
and made notes by the way. In a letter
written from Blackstone md published
on January goth Of that year he said:
"Anothcr thing for tho farmer. find
here an immense store for the sale OF
hardware and farmers supplies. saw
In stock n large number Of reapers nnt
mowers, patent cultivators and 80 on.
| The proprietor told me that he was SELL
ing many such machines to tho farmers
who have been compelled to adopt them
because OF the scarcity of labor. He
said also that the most prosperous farms
in the country are those titled by the
farmer and his boys. Our Virginia farm
ers are now learning the New England
way of doing their own work. think
II Is n good sign" ii; ,ysF,a5i u
MIR a. b. Williams, editor Of the News
Leader is making n similar tour Of In
spcction and no has written n very In
terestlng and instructive letter for his pa
per from tho town of Appomattox Hc
finds that In 1870 tho negro population
OF Appomattox county was more than
1000 In excess Of the white population,
and that negro labor was abundant. The
negroes were then gradually drifting
away, however, and for the next decade
there was q decrease In taxable values.
In 1890 the shrinliago IN the colored pop,l-
lation had gone so far thnt there was
clear majority of whites. The whites had
almost exactly held their own In that
twenty years from 1870 while the negroes
had lost more than s,ooo Between 1880
was but $4,000, while values Of personal
property increased over $4,000, making
an actual gain for the ten years in total
values.
Between 1890 and 1900 the negro popu-
lation continued to shrink In Appomht-
2toS. 1t fell to 3,931, while the whites
gained few hundred, numbering in the
last census year 5.73l. Real estate valu-
ations continued to decline slowly, losing
total of $500 in the ten years, but
personal property gained slightly. But
this year there Is marked change for
the better. The valuations In 1905-for
Appomattox are sSS4,076 on real estate, q
gain in the five years OF $4,000, and $685.
900 on personal property, gain OF $780,
Ooo-total gain $4,000 In five years
against losses for the preceding thirty
years. with the negro population yet de-
creasng. The deposits in the Bank Of
3Appomattox have shown steady and sub
stantlal increase from year to year since
1901, End lands have doubYd In value
The conclusion which Mr.. Williams
draws is that the farmers Of AppomattoX
are prospecting because they have been
forced to dispense with the labor of shift
less negroes and are doing their own
work.
1t is the fulfilment OF the good sign,
noted by The Times man in 1902. Tho
average farm OF one hundred acres in
that section Of Virginia represents an
investment of three or four thousand dol
lars--five thousand at the outside. Such
4 farm will give the owner and his boys
a good living II they do their own work.
1t will give them living wages and a fair
profit on the investment, II they work
and intelligently. IT is not
enough, however, to give support for the
family, II the members do not work but
depend upon the hired labor OF negroes
to make the crops. That is the whole
story, and Editor Williams Is doing we'll
to emphasize the fact.