The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-10
FARMS ARE SNAIL
AND CROPS BET TER
Farmers Around Blacksburg I'm
proving Their Places and Do
ing Their Own Work.
FOUND in .DAlRYlNG
Especial to The Tines.Dispatut.J


BLACkSBURG, VA, November e.
Farmers OF this immediate section are
we'll pleased with theeresults Of their
work during the past sumHer$and fall.
Unusually large crops of every kind Of
grain have been harvested. and are al
ready bringing "a good price in the
market. The unprecedented open
weather OF the. past two months en-
abled them to put in q larger acreage
Of wheat than for years. and. except
for; the ever-increasing problem caused
by the scarcity Of labor, they are
nearly all in a highly prosperous con-
ditIon.
This prosperity is nowhere so no.
ticeable as in the improvement to be
seen on every farm. Many large farms,
owned at one time by few families,
have In the course Of years passed into
other hands. and are now divided up
into small farms, and these are in most
cases worked by the owners themselves.
The latter have built pretty homes.
with substantial barns and outb uiId-
ings, and these are made for com.
Portable living by water and furnaces.
things unheard of In the average
farmers house decade ago. Wire
fences of the most modern make are
greatly to the outward appearance at
least.
Money in Dairying.
The crop acreage of this section Of
the county has been greatly decreased
in the past ten years, from the fact
that the farmers find dairying such a
profitable industry. The Virginia Poly
technic Institute dairy pays a good
price for milk all during the year. and
In consequence the majority OF the
farmers keep number of cows and
the ~ ro7rtinn' n thoir. Ia M
for grazing and raising corn for the
silos. This brings in ready money,
!once almost never seen In the farmers
house. besides tightening the work for
the women. One man for four years
drove five miles to the creamery with
the milk from three cows, because. as
| he expressed 1t. IT get the check for
my milk every month. and If churn
at home I have to take the price OF
1.-THE butter out in trade at tho store"
Not a bad argument, by, the way.
The growth of the Virginia Poly
technic Institute. the building OF the
| Tidewater Railway and the development
of the coal mines, with the steady. rise
In the value Of town property. has sent
the price*of farms in this section sky
ward, and it has doubled in the price
at which it can be bought now. and
| that OF five years ago. l9ty st
&f Property Values Increase.
In the town Of Rlacksburg the same
increase of property values is found,
and If many OF the improvements now
projected naterialize' there will be nc
3lessening In the price that must be
paid for homes and desirable building
lots. President Barringer has recently
consulted number of the business
men on the question OF a water suppl,
for the town. and IL this can be ar,
ranged 1t will bo the greatest thing
of good that has, happened to Blacks.
burg recently. Now there Is absolutel,
no protection against fire. ana few
houses are ssupplled with water.
The contrat sors are at work on the
new brick and concrete sidewalks, ant
! the Council at a recent meeting decided
to extend them to the south end OF
Main Street on the east side, and along
tho street leading west from the depo
A to the corporation limits. This will
give good walks In all the principn
Eparts OF the town. New houses arr
4 going up as fast as workmen can b,
secured, and othors will be built befor,
spring, IL the. weather permits.