The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-18
Ohio Man Has Demon
strated That There
Is No Poor Land.
DAY AT JUDYVILLE
IN STAFFORD co.
Immense Hay Crops Made on
So-Called Worn-Out Virginia
Ground-A. H. Judy Has Ac-
complished Things in Virr
GINA That Make a Fine
Object Lesson.
pY FRANK $. WoopsoN.

tnere Is not an acre or poor land In
all of Virginia. and ] never lose an
opportunity to repeat the statement. 1
believe that IL is true IL the average
Virginia landowner will give his land
as fair n chance as he would his setter
dog; feed II when 1t is hungry and
take care of it all the time No man
can expect n starved out dog to be of
any service. nor can he expect TO get
profits from starved out land The
trouble has been for forty or more
years that Virginia landowners have
been starving their ground. but some
new ideas have come to light within
the past few years, and some Of these
new ideas have been brought TO us by
scientific farmers from other Statess
Four more years ago an Ohio
farmer by tho name OF a. II. Judy
dropped into Virginia, liked the out
look and invested in some so-called
worn-out Virginia lands. His invest
ment was made up In Stafford County.
a few miles from the ancient town OF
Fredericksburg. and he has made a
success of bringing worn-out Virginia
lands back to their original fertility
aud has thus set an example that may
be of great advantage TO other inves-
tors and to the original holders of a
great deal OF WORKOUT Virginia lands.
SO called. 1t has already been advan-
" tageous TO some.
had been hearing something about
this man Judy and his experiments up
in Stafford County. and last week |
went UP TO see him with view Of
learning something OF his methods,
the Information TO be used in the In
dustrial Section az an object lesson
and for the guidance OF other ambi
tious farmers ] found him fine
gentleman and very communicative
kind of an Individual, and ] am going
to tell the story of his success in
farming in Virginia. just AS gath
cred the facts from him and his good
wife. who is just as good farmer az
he is. maybe n little better. They have
named their place .Ludyville Farm"
and II liz a delightful task TO relate
its history since il WAS so dubbed
How II Cnme About.
Judyville Farm Is located four and Il
half miles below Fredericksburg. on
the north bank of the Rappahannock
River. In Stafford County. II consists
OF 900 acres. all in cultivation except
some little ciumps OF woodland here
and there along the river front. which
will be parked and bcautiiicd in the
near future
The transplanting of the Judy family
from Ohio to Virginia came about in
this way: About four years ago Mr..
and Mrs. Judy were living In Western
Ohio. in Darke County, to be exact.
Probably this is the most wonderfully
productive and prosperous county in
Ohio. IL not in the United States. They
were operating several small farms of
from fifteen to eighty acres each In
that section. While the returns were
fair and the business and environments
were excellent. they felt that good land
could be had in desirable localities,
among good people. at very much less
per acre than that which they were
Ut. -
ing OFF their $500 per acre land and
looked for n new location to establish
farm proposition.
Mr.. Judy had been in Virginia sew
eral times in previous years, and had
noted conditions and soils. He liked
Virginia, and he figured out that there
were great opportunities here. On the
10th of April four years ago. he began
an inspection of soils and conditions in
this State. Commencing at Forest,
west OF Lynchburg, he secured the
country thereabouts, and at Lynchburg,
Gladys. South Boston. Keysville,
brakes Branch. Chase City. Burkeville,
Farmville, Nottoway. Crewe. Black
stone. Fords he investigated. Thence
he went to Petersburg. Emporia Wav-
erly to Norfolk, and back to Richmond,
and then down the James from Rich
mond, across to West Point, out to
Hanover and Caroline Counties, to
James sixty miles from Richmond,
thence to Fredericksburg, and down
the Rappahannock with Commissioner
Koiner on the first farmers institute
boat in the history of agriculture; to
Washington, and down to Orange and
back through Loudoun County. walk
ing driving, going by boat and rail.
almost continuously for five months. as
tiresome job as he ever tackled. Sew
eral locations appealed to him, but,
taking soil, people, transportation and
proximity to market into the reckon
ing. Fredericksburg and the Kappa
hammock Valley were selected ms
nearest fitting the needs of the propo-
sition had in mind.
Through the courtesy of Lee j.
Graves. n wide awake man of Freder-
icksburg, MIR. Judy was shown the
present Judyville Farm, then a part of
an old estate known as Travellers Rest,
and Mr.. Graves assisted him In the
purchase of the tract. The soil is
chocolate and gray, with some gray on
red subsoil.
Old, Worn-Out Ground.
Like much of the land in Virginia. 1t
had been tenanted out to shftless.
careless, unintelligent farmers. both
white and colored. and much Of 1t had
been abandoned and gone back to pine.
sassafras persimmon, broom sedge and
like growth over the old corn rows and
narrow. uneven lands or "beds"
THE best recommendation these
lands had" said Mr.. Judy, twas that
after. two centuries of abuse they still
had life enough In them to produce a
little OF something, even lie 1t were
only broom sedge and sorrel. No other
land have seem" said he. would pro-
duce spear of growth after one half
the abuse these lands have had
The frat requisite for successful
farming after clearing the surface OF
the earth for cultivation, is good drain
age. No man can afford to farm wet
soggy land If sou are poor, YOU get
poorer. If you are wealthy, the eye