Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
FAIRFAX FARMERS
FEAR 1881 FAILURE
Continuance of Drought, With
Low Yields, Presents
Crop Plight.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

survey of the agricultural situation in
Fairfax County at the close Of 1880
through the eyes Of County Agent H. B.
Derr and other farm leaders shows that
this has been one Of the most disastrous
years In virginia's farm history. After
crop failures the farmers are faced with
. second bad year IS q result of the
continued drought. Unless heavy rains
or SHOWS come soon the situation will
be desperate.
While cold weather and the dropping
q leaves make drought effects less ap-
parent. the situation Is actually worse
than it was in the Summer, and is daily
becoming more acute. There has been
practically no break in the drought,
which started almost year ago. Only
q few showers have visited this section
this Fall, In place Of usual heavy rains.
Since october the precipitation has
scarcely served to lay the dust. In
many localities the surface moisture ex-
tends down only an inch or so. Under
meath the soil is baked so hard it can
scarcely be plowed. The diminishing
amount of moisture available for plant
growth is well illustrated by the death
Of many comparatively shallow-rooted
trees, such as dogwood.
Fairfax County's main source of in
come in agriculture is its fine dairy
cattle; the second industry is poultry,
with grain farming, trucking and tim
boring as additional important branch
ee. The Spring-sown pasture crops of
clover or alfalfa on which the dairy
men depend for much of their Summer
feeding are very poor. ALI legume crops
suffered very badly in last Summers
drought, with nearly all Of the early
- IL ILL ~
sown grains, some rye and wheat plant
ed after the late showers now looks
pretty well, but most of the early plant
ings are dead. More rye was planted in
the county this Fall than normally be-
cause Of the Government loan for rye
pasture. What has survived 50 far will
not amount to much unless heavy rains
come soon, according to DER.
Below State Average.
The summary for the entire State
shows q 67.7 per cent of the 10-year
average combined yield of all crops
Fairfax County, with so per cent hay
and 20 per cent corn crop last Sum-
n1er, falls below the average for the
State. Heavy rains now will help keep
alive what Is already growing, but viii
tional growth, observers say.
Ordinarily much of the farm blowing
in this section is done In the Fall and
Winter. This year the Fall blowing
has been almost a total failure. IN
less the land had been sown to q crop
such as corn or soy beans and culti- |
waited regularly during the Summer, the |
farmer found when he started out with
team or tractor that he could not dig |
through the hard-baked upper crust |
and that the plows would not pulverize !
the soil
while practically all Of the more |
shallow wells have been dry for months, |
some streams which were dry all Sum- |
nier have recently been running again. |
On the other hand. reports are received
from different sections Of dificulty in
securing a suhicient flow of water for
the heavy demands made by dairy
farms even from wells drilled to .
depth of 125 feet or more.
The dairy industry suffered more
from the drought during the four
months from July to October than it
has recently. At that time, owing to
the failure Of pastursge, the dairyman |
ter ration OF hay, grain and ensilage. |
His production Of milk fell OF, reducing |
his income, at the same time his ex-
expenses were greatly increased. Prac- |
tcally every dairyman has had to buy |
Western hay. Very few have enough |
ensilage 70 carry them through the sea- |
son. Since November milk production |
has increased. but the price of surplus |
milk was reduced cents in November |
Fairfax County dairymen have to face |
q somewhat demoralized market for
their milk this year because of the
large recent increase IN the number of
persons shipping milk to the Washing
ton market. This also is partly trace
able to the drought. Beef cattle
raisers from other sections. who for
nlerly pastured large herds Of beef cat
tie on range, with the failure of pastur-
age lands. have found their former
practices so improbable that they have
switched to dairy cattle Sixty-two per-
I1itS were issued during October alone
N two counties adjoining Fairfax to
new milk shippers.
Grain Bad Dependence.
The farmer who depends on grain for
his yearly cash crop Is IN worse shape
than the dairynan who has his month
" milk check 70 help pay for the hay or
beet pulp he feeds his cattle. Even
with small wheat crop the farmer re-
ceived only 90 cents bushel on the
average.
on many farms the only cash crop at
this season Of the year is chickens or
Is cents per pound wholesale the farm
CT finds he can hardly afford to haul
them to town. Midwinter prices for
eggs are lower than they have been in
years. They are down almost to the
price they bring in midseason when
eggs are most plentiful. In fact. the
present price is below the cost of pro-
most poultry farms. Truck crops and
gardens were almost total failure last
Summer and Fall
Farmers in outlying sections depend
for large part OF their Winter income
on cutting and hauling pulpwood
MANY men are normally so employed In
Fairfax County. especially in Lee and
Centerville districts. This year the
market on pulpwood in the State is shot
TO pieces. One Of the most hopeful
signs in this section is the action taken
recently by the Richmond, Fredericks-
burg q Potomac Railway Co.. which
has instructed its agents TO buy railroad
ties from the farmers. although the
railroad Is already supplied with an
abundant store of ties for its own use
Thousands of Christmas trees were
cut this year While the supply has
greatly exceeded the demand. thou
sands on thousands were hauled to
market and back home TO be dumped.
One farmer. who spent almost q week
before Christmas cutting trees. with
three assistants, paying cents each to
the man who owned the timber land,
sold q dozen trees to pay for his weeks
work and wages for his men.
County Agent Derr states that he has
already received q number OF applica-
tons for relief when the appropriations
now being voted by Congress become
available. MANY farmers were forced
to mortgage their cattle this Fall to
pay for the Winter feed Most of these