The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-20
One Of Virginia's Best
Old Counties Getting
in Front Rank.
THRIVING VILLAGES,
MODERN F FARMING
Grasses and Grain Making To-
bacco Take Back Seat-Numer-
Gus Dairy Farms and Great
Pony Ranch-New Village
of Whiteville That Grew
in Wilderness.
BY FRANK S. wooDsoN.

Whiteville, Cumberland County, Va;
July 1s.-At Cartersville yesterday,
where 1 first got into this county, an
inquisitive gentleman Inquired as to
my business. and when l replied that
I had como up with View of WRIT
ling for The Times Dispatch something
about Cumberland County, he inform
ed me that 1 would find precious little
material to operate on" That simply
shows that the inQuisittve gentleman
knows very little about his own ooun-
~. have found good deal of ma
terial Ito operate on" more. indeed,
than can use In one letter.
Cumberland, long. narrow county
extending from the James River on the
north to the Appcmattox on the south.
thirty miles in length and not over
ten In width at the widest point, is
one of the older subdivisions of tho
State. having been sliced of from
Goochland In tho year 174s. With the
James on the north border and the
AppomattoS on the south end, Willis
River running nearly the entire
length and innumerable creeks and
smaller streams making into the larger
ones. the county Is we'll watered and
tho land, being all good and produo-
tive. Cumberland Is prominently an
agricultural county, and there is per-
haps no better in the State. All the
grains, grasses and fruits. when prop
eriy looked after. grows here to per-
lection. and as is well known, tho
county has been famous from time inn
memorial for It's rich dark tobacco.
In fact. tobacco was for many years
and until quite recently the farmers.
mainstay, but In these latter days OF
progressive and scientific farming,
they are learning that there are other
money crops and hay and corn ana
wheat and stock and dairy farms are
beginning to bring to Cumberland
more ready cash than tobacco and If
the present complaint about the for
eign buyers holding n monopoly ana
actually naming the prices to be paid
for the dark shipping tobaccos before
they are cured In the barn. continues
much longer, no one need be surprised
to see the tillerS OF the soil in Cum
berland abandon tobacco almost alto
sether and spend noarly all OF their
energy on grasses, the grains and
hogs. sheep, cattle and paultry. 1 am
told by a man who knows every foot
or ground In the county and all the
people thereon that a wonderful
change has been going on for the past
five years, that the production of corn,
wheat. crimson clover and other
grasses, peas. etc, has been Increasing
each year py leaps and bounds.
This is especially true OF corn oats
and wheat, and this year the wheat
and oat crops have been larger than
ever known In the history OF the coun-
~. and there Is every indication that
this Will be true also OF corn when
that crop Is gathered AS matter OF
fact more attention Is being given to
corn than TO other grains. Hay is
becoming q great factor. Thus far
crimson clover and herdsgrass have
held the lead. but the people are oatoh-
Ing on to alfalfa. Many farmers are
trying 1t out under demonstration
methods and all are succeeding. DR..
Nash p. Snead. who, with the assist
ance OF his wife, runs n pony ranch
near Cartersvilie. and William Gray,
who conducts a dairy farm and cattle
and sheep ranch NOT far from the
courthouse. have succeeded finely with
alfalfa Yesterday l saw Dr. Sneads
mower taking down as fine alfalfa as
/ have yet seen In any part of the
State. His three or four cuttings this
season Will pan out not less than sis
tons TO the acre. l am sure.
New village OF WhitevllIe.
There Is no incorporated town in
the county The big markets of Rich
mond. Petersburg. Lynchburg and
Farmville are so convenient the county
does not need big town. and the
people are so much devoted TO the
village OF Cumberland, or a the old
people insist upon calling it. tho
courthouse" and the villages of Car
;ersville, Cara. Flannagan's Mills.
Ashby and this new village OF Whites
vile, from which 1 am writing. form
as much on the town order as the peo-
pie seem to care for.
Cartersvillc is on the James River.
just opposite Pemberton station on the
James River division OF the Chesa peaks
and Ohio Railway. the shipping point
for the north end OF the county The
village has about 200 population. sew
cral stores, a bank, a high school near
by and numerous churches.
Whitevillc, the new village Is the
child OF one OF the busiest men In this
any other county, Charles r. SAN
derson have often heard of double
barrelcd" hustlers. and Mary Twain
tells OF fellow out West who had
so many irons OF an Industrial charac-
ter in the fire he was dubbed a Colts
Revolver" hustler. but this man SAN
dcrgon beats that. Hc is the circuit
court clerk, a real estate buyer and
seller, contractor and house builder,
saw mill and planning mill king, an
extensive lumber dealer. the president
and general manager OF a rural telc-
phone company that has wires in n
half dozen or more counties couu-
Try merchant. n bank director, sum
day school superintendent who monk
les with all the churches" and aboyos
all, an expert and up-to-date scientific
farmer.
Mr.. Sanderson owned until two years
ago the village OF Ashby. and there
conducted n store. an up-to-date farm, u
big saw mill business and numerous
other things. He sold out at Ashby S.
20 n wide awake newcomer 10 the couIl-
ty. and came up here 10 clear up tho
forest and start new village gs
To-day Whiteville has one OF cas- Z
largest stores IN the county. Operated