The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-18
|NNORTHERNNECK
AS SEEN BY SANDY
Demonstration Work Going on
in the Counties of Lancaster
and Northumberland.

and Northumberland.
T o. Sandy, who is at the head OF
the farmers cooperative demohstra-
ton work In Virginia. has recently been
on his rounds to look after the good
work of his various and sundry as
sistants in the counties and districts
of the State. L caught him on the
streets of Richmond the other day
ana he took time to tell me OF a recent
trip he made in the Northern Neck
country 1t is curious fact that II
Virginian wants to get into the
Northern Neck country he has to travel
in much OF round about way. but
these things are going to be changed,
md that right speedily. The Northern
Neck, as we'll as all of the Rappahan-
u become a part and an important
part of Richmonds legitimate trade
territory. and this is going to come
about by the building of railway lines,
but that is another story.
MIR. Sandy tells me that in order to
reach the S<OTtIleTH Neck nc ndQ ~ 80
to Washington and there he boarded
a little 0ne-horse steamboat that took
him to Lodge Wharf. in Northumber-
land County. And now l quote him
literally. being in no way responsible
for the shortness OF his English. Mr..
Sandy says: "At Lodge Wharf j was
met by B. A Warmer. demonstration
agent for the Northumberland and
Lancaster Counties. and driven from
there to Heathsviue, the county seat,
TO attend very interesting farmers
meeting.
Mr. WARMERS work IN these twS
counties is progressing and progress
sive. He has enrolled to date 1875 boys,
who have agreed to raise one acre of
corn each under demonstration meth
DDS. In competition with 1900 other
boys scattered over the State of Vir-
ginia.
Most of the land in this section is
n light loamy soil. with a clay sub
soil. making 1t easily worked hnd
very susceptible to Improvement The
farmers are wide-awake progress
sive people. having walked up some
what in recent years, and are look
ing out for all the information they
can get.
while driving a distance of forty
miles through Westmoreland and
Northumberland Counties. / saw many
improvements. AS rule. twenty years
ago, these farms were large estates
and poorly titled. Now one may see
small, we'll kept farms. with neat
houses and out-buildings, improved
lands and all about there is an air OF
thrift.
"on nearly every farm 1 saw Grim
son clover growing, as fine as l ever
saw anywhere. This clover, which was
sowed about the first of last August.
is turned under and planted to corn.
Where hay is wanted, wheat and win
ter oats are seeded with the clover,
and this makes fine hay for both
horses and cattle. a great deal of
this crimson clover is threshed out
for seed. and 1t is far preferable to
foreign seed. Wheat and oats follow
corn. Tomatoes are one iof the chief
money crops Those that ripen first
are shipped to Washington and the
balance canned
In one section found good many
sweet potatoes. which are stored away
in bushel boxes in a large tight room.
the temperature kept the same during
the winter by a small stove. and now
the growers are shipping these pota-
toes at s3.75 per barrel | understand
this is paying very we'll
~ am satisfied that nowhere in Vir-
ginia can more alfalfa be produced to
the acre. and at less expense than in
this section. Especially would | rec
ommend the lowlands in these two
counties. on the Potomac where there
| is natural deposit of mari and shells
covering large acreage. In some
! places may be found "A deposit OF
| oyster shells from two to four feet
| deep. which have been there for thou
sands OF years With these natural re-
| sources. it is only necessary to add
humus and phosphorus to produce al
| fafa abuncantly.
The country between Nomini Ferry
! and i<insale is fine farming section
| The lands could easily he brought To
high state of fertility. and the one
thing to bring this about is the dairy
Industry My idea is creamery "A,
Kin Sale. The road from this point ia
Nomini Ferry is all that could be asked
for, IN fact as far as Montross. and
even from Kinsale to Warsaw. VIII
an automobile 10 bring In the milk anC
cream each morning and TO gather VI
the eggs laid the day before. shippinl
them each day as guaranteed frcsi
eggs To the large hotels in Baltimor,
and Washington. thereby securing
from to cents more per dozen thar
other eggs. This cooperative cg,
and butter business would soon b,
very rcmunerativc
Mr.. Sandy admitted that a railway I,
the Northern Neck, connecting quickl.
with Rtlchmond, is the big thing. il
faci. the one thing TO solve tn. prob
lem that !,