Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-02-09

lac iu!lnMlng coinnfunIr"u ton
viii be read with interest bN Rccor-
der readers, not only because it IS
from the pen Of Il Highland boy,
but because it conta aims suggestions
and ideas that are timely and prac-
tical ~ touching future industries
in Highland.
We have always maintained that
our Highland boys, if given a half
chanc" generally make good, and
we may 90 further and assert that
som" oi them do not wait long for
the c:anre, but literally mute the
Opportunity, so to speak. The
wri;cr If the following letter, Rich
ard Crummett, is the first and only
Highland boy to take a college
course in agriculture, and his for
mcr SchoClmates and friends will
be glad to hear, from his own pen,
his idea and estimate of his chosen
work.
Il, i now manager Of four
hundred acre farm near Beaver
Dam, Eastern Virginia, owned by
Il Resident ii Washington city-El
Jan. 81 1912.
Editor Highland kecurder:
On being Introduced to a farmer
in Hanover 80, !tv. the first thing
he would ask me: How do you
like ii ~ ,nI> srclion??' And |
Aoild "n%wrr. Every well not con-
>idrrimg the ha roads. Then he
would ask me where | came from
and | wouiu eli him Highland coun-
iv. one OF Ihu best blue grass sec
tons in the State or Us good as any
section in the world. Beef Gait e
,trv rnlsru there that never see ali
4ar OF corn and are sold for the
aiAheSt prizes after being driven
ten to tWcntv-GW + miles to the
railroad. ii he were 20 ask me
now many dairy herds or creamer-
les in the county, would have TO
say not one.
b fore entering college at Blacks
burg, little did care about the
farna, and | knew nothing of the
possibilities Of dairying. On enter
ing the Vir inia Polytechnic 1nsti-
tutc. determined to take up Min
i ing Engineering. But after being
there Il short time, | became inter
ested in some agricultural papers
in the library. Later, listening to
some very able lectures on Agricul-
turnl subjects together with obser-
vations around campus, farms and
creamery convinced me that there
was, after all, something good in
agriculture.
After being there three. months
and spending my holiday vacation
at home, | thought it a wise plan
to pulsue the course which would
mean to anyone health, happiness,
and prosperity general agriculture.
At the beginning of the third
term Of my first year at college, |
was "iven some work in the dairy
laboratory weighing and testing
milk and cream and making calcu-
lations. 1t didn't seem possible to
me that those figures could be car
ried out in practice, but it has been
demonstrated to me many times
since that they can. Farming, at
ter all is one-half figures From that
time on | became more and more
interested in dairying and have Of
ten wondered what an excellent
dairy section Highland would be.
One night, soon after tattoo (ten
o'clock), I,began to think out a
plan for an essay on "Some Posi-
biiities in Dairying in Virginia, "
or like subject. Being tired and
sitting close to the radiator | fell
aisle ? for short time and dream
eG dream that, | hope some day,
will come true: passed two CO.
operative creameries in the Monte
rev valley and saw local farmers
bringing in their milk and cream.
Crossing over to the Crabbottom
valley, passed two like creameries,
each receiving large quantities of
milk and cream. Every dairy
farmer passed wore a smile as
each had received his check that
morning for his share of the pro-
duct delivered the past month.
1t always occurred to me that
the one great advantage of dairy
| farming is that the farmers capital
is invested for such a shor5 time
Once a month, once a week, or
every day he may have check for
the work his COWS have done the
month, week, or day before, and a
more certain source of profit is pro-
vided because the market for dairy
products does not huctuate in the
uncertain manner that the markets
for other farm products do. Just
so long as the farmer milks good
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