Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-31
RICH AND PROSPEROUS
COUNTY OF BUCKINGHAM
Untold Wealth in the Ground Await.
ing Development by Energy
and Capital.
MORE RAILWAYS MUCH NEEDED
Fertile Lands Bringing All Kinds of
Crops-Valuablc Minerals The
buckingham Slate Has Made Coun-
ty Famous--Nast Industry.

State. and that when the tranSporta-
tion facilities lead to the development
OF its vast resources, il Will he among
the richest
Because OF the limited ,ransporta-
ton facilities, the forests of tn" county
have not been thinncd out by the saw
mills as in many other parts OF the
state, and there are vast acres OF SUI
perior original growth ,imbers. con
ststinE OF the usual varieties. such as
oak. poplar. walnut. pine. hickory.
chestnut. maple etc, There are. OF
course, numerous sawmils and wood
working establishments in the county.
and now that good county, roads are
coming about. fairly large business
: is done in converting these timhcrs into
slaves. shingles, railroad ties. etc.
RICH LANDS THAT
GROW EVERYTHING
No county in Central Virginia can
boast OF better lands than arc to he
found In buckingham. The soil is
gray and black loan with red subsoil.
and !; produces abundantly when
brought 10 a high state OF cultivation.
There Is famous strip OF black land
from four to six miles wide. extending
across the western section. which. un-
der the old regime before the Civil
War. was in n high state Of improves
mcnt. and was considered by the pco-
~" tho garden spot OF the State. All
of tho lands of the county are adapted
10 diversified farming, and there is not
farmer within its domain who OPP
crates on tho one-crop plan All OF
them grow corn, wheat. oats. rye, buck
wheat and all tho grasses for hay.
They arc all dcvotos and advocatcrs OF
the hog and hominy doctrine. Tobacco
Is the money crop. the county produc-
tfS 100000 to 100000 pounds per
annum OF the dark shipping tobacco
which. in ordinary times. and when
there are i1o wars. finds ready sale in
the markets Of England. Austria. Ger
many and Italy, 1t is q great wheat
ana corn growing region, and ma
iority of tho farmers are sellers Of
these grains. growing every year more
than is required for home consumption
Buckingham is very rich in min
erals-in some lines the richest in
the state Copper. iron, gold. silver
harytes. mica, limestone. soapstone as
hcstos and slate FIJI her hills and dalcs
With tho exception of slate Eucking-
hams minerals are practically unde-
veloped and untold wealth, locked up
within her borders. and is waiting for
railway facilities and capital to libcratc
and utilize them for the benefit Of man
kind and tho enrichment OF the de-
yelopcrs. There are distinct veins of
gold which extend across tho county
IN northeast direction, and in oldcn
times these worked at various
places, and they were very profitablc.
reducing the ore and the then slow
process OF removing the sulphur tho,
were abandoned after the war
SLATE: INDUSTRY THAT
Is WORTH MILLIONS
The slate deposits have been de-
veloped TO a large extent and the bust
ness of puarrying and preparing for
the markets of the world this valuable
mineral is growing every day AZ
AfNOnia, tho centre The slate r.-
gion. something like 100000 is in
vested in the business. and eight or
Ten, stronG companies are thus engaged
The Buckingham slate deposit land
IS not so very large. being a little
less than mile in width and not over
ten miles in length. The groupings
are noticeable for more than ten miles.
out the very rich deposits hardly en-
ceco eiGht miles. 1t runs from near
the lanes River, or the north border
OF the county, southwark. the town of
Arvonin being IN the centre Of the
richest and most extensive deposits vet
investigated
me slate Is found Az paying quaint
tles In the Arvonia4 tc!sii DRY fifty feet
below the surface hut n. man knows
now deep il goes. Some puarrics hov.
neen exhausted at a depth Of $50 feet
while there are others that are already
much deeper than that and tho slate
seems TO be more and more plrntiful
as the digging and tunneling proceeds
In fact, 1t is believed that some OF tho
buckingham Quarrics are absolutely in
eNhaustiblc
An OLD-TIME INDUSTRY
NOW MODER NIIED
These slate deposits in buckingham
have been known OF, and the product
made use OF locally for much more
than a century. There are houses now
standing in the county that we're Gov
cred with the slate considerable more
tnan 100 years ago. and the roofs are
in perfect shape to-day
Something like seventies y, wears ocn
few Of the owners OF the slate lands
commenced "a make u business or
clarifying this superior roofing material
Tor sale In the outside world, and the
Ruckingham slate in time became
known in distant parts some az !,
--~seing exported Tor roofing on buildings
in England and Scotland In late v,nrs
II has become enormous business
improved machinery OF very costly
kind and hundreds OF expert work-ncn
being employed IN quarrylnc til" slate
and shaping II INTO shingles for use in
moro than hundred cities OF the
United states and many In foreign
lands, and vet ;her. arc acres. even
miles Of buckingham county lands
loaded with TINS valuable material that
has not vet been dcv.Iup-d NOT .,cr
touched with pick ana spade
Biologists have made it plain ,ha,
mere are various kinds and grades OF
slate in this and other countries some
OF IL is worthless, some viii last for :,
good while when used for rOot,i, ,.,,,-
--sboses, some VIII las, FOR ten. nf,c,n o.,
twenty years and some will last ;,,
ever. There n" states that are merely
Stag, hardened hy natures UNDERGROUND
processes. and when exposed TO tho air
ana me weather they discolor. making
an unsishtly roof. and in time disi!I.
nm