Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-17
WASTED WATER POWER
IN COUNTY OF MADISON
Rich Lands. Contentcd People, Good
Roads. Splendid Schools. but Not
an Inch OF Railway.
GRAINS, FRUITS AND MINERALS
Iron and Copper Hidden Beneath the
Surface Remains Undeveloped.
Tax Valuation OF Lands Very Low.
Small Farms the Rule.


Madison County. lying on tho east
side of the beautiful Blue Ridge Noun
tains in the northern part OF the State.
/ is naturally one of the richest coun-
! ties in Virginia, SO far as land and
natural resources arc concerned, and
yet IL is not a very progressive county;
[ that is. the people arc not. They farm
all right: III fact they arc up-to-datc
farmers: they grow stock; they arc
good enough orchardistS and they are
vhurchEoinG and misunderstanding pco-
pic: they also believe in good country
roads and they have a weakness for
automobiles, hut somehow they do not
take much stock in large industries.
for which their lands and forests fur
nish much raw material. They have
never developed the iron. cooper and
other minerals that undoubtedly lie in
rich layers under much OF the soil and
they do not seem to care snap of the
finger for railroads. 1t is one Of the
counties OF Virginia that has not "a
mile OF railway track within its Dor
dcrs. The Chesapeake and Ohio and
tho Southern Railways run through
orange and Culpcper Counties not Il
great ways from the eastern and north
ern borders of Madison County and
tho Norfolk and Western runs through
Page County several miles from the
western border, and so the people in
some parts of the country sometimes
hear the screech OF the steam locomo-
tive. but tho iron horse has never in.
vadcd Madison itself.
SMALL FARMS, RICH
LANDS THAT ARE; CHEAP
The county contains an area of 1886
square miles, cut up into farms Of
something like $50 acres each, on an
average. and these acres bring all the
grains and grasses to perfection and
some of the lands are well adapted to
the culture OF tobacco. All of them
bring the vegetables. especially pota-
toes. and | am told that Madison C,oun-
" is outdoing itself this year in the
production Of Irish potatoes. These
soGd lands are cheap. II is hard to
tell what an owner would ask for them.
but il is matter of record that the
assessed value for taxation is not over
So an acre.
Fruit-growinE has proven very sue
cesSful IN this county and from some
Of its large orchards there come pippin
apples that are the equal OF any that
ever grew in Albemarle or any other
county. The winesaps do we'll in Madi-
son also. and SO do peaches. and all
OF the smaller fruits II is such good
ass-producinS county the people
could not help raising much cattle,
even If they wanted to. and in the
last few years the dairy has become
county. Grape culture is also profit
able industry in some parts of the
county. and would become all immense
thing if there were better transporta-
ton facilities that they might be got
ten to the market in good time and
good order.
WASTED WATER POWERS:
FINE EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES
The county is we'll watcred by the
+ a mir an 2,.l@a l..
ANA their tributaries and some or the
nncst water powers in the State are
SoluS 10 waste every day. several
Touring an! Grist mills Ter home sup
ply are successfully run on the
streams. one. possibly TWO small fur
n!turc factories and two stove foun-
dries. box factory. several small
tanncr!es and butter and cheese fac
tori arc the only industries that have
taken advantage of the water power
and other favorable conditions. II is
lSl!crcd that if good broad gauge
railroad should cut acros, the county
!i"'r an orange county connection wit..
the Chesapeake and OHIO and South e.
ern Railways 10 connection some
where in Page County, with the Shcn-
ardoah Valley branch Of the Norfolk
ana Western mary industries would
spring up along these water powers
ana that the iron and cope: deposits
dormant where they are
There Is. pcrhaps. no county i'm the
state, certainly none that Is so much
cut off from the outside world as is
Madison. that has as fine educational
facilities. with its three high .cbools
its many smaller public schools. it's
TWO womcn's institutes and its acad :
cmH, none Of the children need leave
the county 20 get a good education.
There are good roads in the county.
some OF them hrst-class ma cada III
highways ana many miles of perfect
Hahd-'iaA roads ana with their good
horses winch they raise themselves.
ana Win automobiles, the people have
no trounie IN getting about That may
pe inc reason thcy are so indifferent
10 railway advantages.
ONLY ONE FARM
AND IT-S & GOOD on:
Madison ~ ,, , . 49,
not much as to Size, but in other re-