The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-17
.DOWN|N 'OLDF[U"
. RIGHT IN THE FORK
Blue Grass Fluvanna
Outdoing Kentucky
in White Burley
MULE INDUSTRY;
MODEL FARMING
Twentieth Century Methods
Adopted-Wonderful Results
in Short Tirne-Denonstra-
ton Work: Its Teachings.
Old Virginia Homestead
in Modern Regatta.
BY FRANK $. wooDsoN,
Industrial Editor.

BY FRANK $. wooDsoN, 81
Industrial Editor.
| Fork Union. Va, July 16.-Last
! Sunday the Industrial Section con-
tanned the statement that Fluvanna
county farmer living in the great
fork" between the James and the
Rivanna Rivers had 100000 hills OF
| White Burley tobacco, which LOOKS as
| fine In its present growing stage as
any field in kentucky could possibly
look. Several doubling Thomases OF
the tobacco trade in Richmond ex-
pressed the opinion that had taken
poetic license with the facts. and that
I had better cut the hills down sew
eral thousand, for. said they. there
was never anything like that in yir-
GINA Captain Charles c. Snead. the
owner of the hills, was my informant
and on his invitation 1 came down
into the Fork" to see that he had
done no poetic stretching and to see
something that is indeed new in Vir-
ginia White Burley layout of such
Dimensions Never before in the his
tory OF agriculture in this State has
any one farmer attempted an imi-
tation OF Kentucky on large a
scale.
Outburleylns Kentucky.
| Captain Snead experimental some
last year with the Burley and as he
never goes at anything except with
| his eyes open, he made visit to
Jack Taylor's Orange county farm to
| learn how to turn the trick as Taylor
| and his Kentucky manager had done
it the year previous. After spending
| several days on the Taylor farm ex-
/ aiming the land and learning all
about how to prepare it for Burley.
! how to fertlize, how to cultivate and
| how to cure the weed, Captain Snead
| came home and proceeded with his
\ first experiment He has been dark
he knew his own lands well, and it
is no wonder that his experiment was
\ q success, not complete success all
around but success all the same.
The captain decided to change the
Taylor methods somewhat this year
In the use of fertilizers and in other
! ways. deeming these changes neces-
sary to better suit his land and other
conditions.
Under this method of his own hc
planted 100000 hills on his various
tracts In the Fork" the largest sin
gle field being here on the old home
stead tract right at Fork Union, and
did this without curtailtng his usual
| dark tobacco output.
This is the tobacco I have inves-
| tigated, and I can safely say that
| there can be no field in Kentucky
| that looks better at the present stage
| or holds out a, brighter promise for
| complete success than does this. and
| have seen many u Kentucky field al
its early July best. Captain Snead
| makes no secret Of his formula for
tertilizng. blowing, planting. cultivat-
Ing. cutting and curing the Burley.
| and he has given 1t to me for the in
formation of other farmers. but per-
! haps 1t would be best to await tho
harvesting of the crop before making
1t public, for then the facts as to the
complete success or the lack of COM
\ plete success may be given at the
same time. Certainly. at this writing,
these 100000 hills are in splendid
shape. and give every reasonable
promise Of actually outdoing Ken
lucky. It Is barely possible that the
ingatherins may not show such good
| results, and In that event 1t would
be best not to announce and brag too
much on the captains formula.
Raising Mules In Virginia.
It is nothing new with Captain
Snead to adopt Kentucky methods, and
}, even improve on them. Fifteen or
J twenty years ago he conceived the
idea that as good mules and horses
as ever saw the light In Bluegrass
Kentucky could be raised in "blue-
grass Fluvanna He was so thor
oughly convinced OF this fact. so far
as it pertained to mules, that about
fifteen years ago he procured from
Kentucky at great expense two NAM
J moth jacks of the Very best breed
and he has since demonstrated that
as good mules can grow in this part
Of Virginia as in the Bluegrass State
II or anywhere else.
!, He now has two magnificent jacks
and also a pair Of jennets and he
has pretty we'll stocked this county
with Vlrginia.bred mules. finding that
Il the medium sized mares OF Virginia
make splendid breeders and mothers
saw to-day on his place a grand old
mare which is the mother of seven
fine mules, born In as many years.
At first Captain Sneads idea was
, to raise mules on his place only for
his own use and enable other Flu
wanna and Goochland and Bucking-
ham farmers to do likewise. and 1t is
to be doubted IL any of his neighbors,
for miles around have bought mules
4 on the market since he introduced :hs
Sires from Kentucky However. hay
ing large acres OF superior pasturage,
the captain for the past several years
has been raising mules for the mar
ket, and each winter he dlsposes OF
at least a carload. Heretofore ne has
! sold altogether in North and South
!: Carolina. and his mules bring as good
figures and do as good service as any
i, OF the animals that come from along
the banks OF the Ohio. Every farmer
in Virginia can raise his own mules
II he will. and Captain Snead deserves
not a little credit for demonstrating
Il that fact. His success at embarrassing
/ being so marked. and his .pasturagss
acres being SO numerous, he has added
horse breeding, too, and Is now this
owner OF two magnificent stations,
one hackney and the othar Per
II cheron.
4, Growing Wise ia Old Age. ,,a
4 Captain Snead has been farmer