USA > Virginia > Albemarle County > Albemarle County > Albemarle County (Virginia) A hand book giving a description of its topography, climate, geology, minerals, fruits, plants, history, educational, agricultural and manufacturing advantages, and inducements the county offers the industrious and intelligent farmer and manufacturer > Part 3
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Ilex Opaca, the Holly tree, is occasionally found in the for- ests, always alone. They having evidently sprung from the seeds dropped in the passage of migratory birds.
The Sugar Maple, Acer Saccharinum, is like the Holly only occasionally met with in the natural state. But the Red Maple, Acer Rubrum, is common, though not abundant in any locality, as it is so widely distributed it would appear that it is an ex- cellent tree to cultivate for lumber, being much valued in cabinet work.
The Box-Elder or Ash-leaved Maple, Negundo Aceroides, grows along the streams in the eastern part of the county. It is readily recognized by its peculiar ash-like leaves. Its tim- ber is soft and well adapted for the manufacture of paper pulp. Its sap contains a small amount of saccharine matter, and yields, on evaporation, a small amount of maple sugar.
Rhus Typhina, the Stag-Horn Sumach, attains the height of 12 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 inches along the road- sides. Large quantities of its leaves are gathered and shipped for the tanner's use.
Rhus Venenata, called the Poison Elder, is found in the wet parts of the county occasionally. It is exceedingly noxious when brought in contact with the human body.
Robinia Pseudacaia, or Common Locust, is common, grows
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
vigorously and attains maturity when left to itself. No at- tempt is made to utilize its valued timber.
The Honey Locust, Gleditschia Triacanthos, is found occa- sionally in the woods in the eastern part of the county. In other portions of the county it is more frequently met with along the roadsides, where it has escaped cultivation. It is said that good beer can be made from its fruit.
The Red Bud or Judas tree, Cercis Canadensis, from its oriental namesake from whose limbs Judas is said to have hung himself, is widely distributed through the forests and frequently attains a diameter of 18 inches. Its wood is not only beautiful in color and susceptible of a high polish, but shows a beautiful wavy grain, giving it, when polished, the appearance of a piece of watered silk. It is worthy of being made into veneers for the manufacture of furniture.
Prunus Americanus, the wild plum, is not a stranger to the lover of nature, and attains in a few instances at least the remarkable diameter of 24 inches.
Prunus Pennsylvanica, the wild, red cherry, is occasionally met with ; its timber, though sometimes used, is much infe- rior to that of Prunus Serotina, the wild black cherry, which is common.
Spirea Opulifolia, the nine bark, is a shrub attaining the height of ten feet, easily recognized from the peculiar manner in which the layers of its bark separate.
Pyrus Augustifolia, the Southern Crab apple, is sometimes met with. Its sour fruit is not utilized, no doubt from the rareness of its occurrence.
Cratagus Coccinea, the Scarlet Fruited Thorn, is found along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge.
The June berry, or as it is more commonly called in this locality, Wild Currant, Amelanchier Canadensis, is found every- where. Its beautiful white flowers appearing before the leaves in early spring gives to the woods a fresh appearance that is most pleasing to the eye. Its hard and dense heartwood fur- nishes excellent blocks for the tanner,
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
The Witch Hazel, Hamamelis Virginica, is found in the mountain hollows.
Liquid Ambarstyraciflua, the Sweet Gum, is found between Hardware river and Buckeyeland creek. The wood of this tree when seasoned is exceedingly well adapted for cabinet work, being equal in beauty to walnut.
Cornus Alternifolia, the Swamp Dogwood, is found along the Rivanna river, while the Flowering Dogwood, C. Florida, is known everywhere in early spring by the four white con- spicuous leaves of its involucre. The wood of the latter is well adapted for turning. When cut in early spring there exudes a yellowish-red colored sap resembling blood to a slight extent.
The Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus Glandulosa, has escaped from cultivation, and is in some localities very common. It is a rapid grower, and as its timber is very durable and pos- sesses much strength, it should be encouraged.
Nyssa Sylvatica, the Sour or Black Gum, is common, adding great beauty by its scarlet leaves to the forests in the fall. Its timber is very compact.
Viburnum Prunifolium, the Black Haw, with its white cymes, lends beauty and fragrance to our woods.
The Laurel or Ivy, Kalmia Latifolia, is common in Pied- mont and Blue Ridge Albemarle. Its close grained wood is susceptible of a high polish and much prized for turning work.
Rhododendron Catawbiense, the Rose Bay, is found only near Col. Duke's farm in Sugar Hollow.
Diospyros Virginiana, the Persimmon, is common. The timber of this tree is valuable for shoe lasts and spools, and would make excellent axletrees.
Fraxinus Americana, the White Ash, is not abundant now in the county, though it is well adapted to the soil and cli- mate, as shown by a few magnificent specimens of this beauti- ful forest tree.
The Fringe Tree, or Old Man's Beard, Chionanthus Vir- ginica, is easily found in June along our streams, and may be recognized by its fringed white flowers.
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
The Catalpa tree, Catalpa Bignonioides, is frequently found in the natural state, having in most cases escaped from culti- vation. Its timber is of value for fence posts and rails.
Sassafras Officinale, the common Sassafras, is very abun- dant along fences and in old fields. The oil obtained from its roots is valuable, and its manufacture is worthy of some at- tention in this county. It is not an unhandsome wood, pol- ishes well, and as it does not permit vermin to harbor near it, it possesses properties well fitting it for chamber furniture.
Ulmus Fulva, the Red or Slippery Elm, and Ulmus Ameri- cana, the American, or Water Elm, are found along the streams, Ulmus Alata, the Winged Elm, is met with in the swampy portions of the eastern part of the county.
The Sugar Berry, Celtis Occidentallis, occurs along Moor- man's river, and elsewhere.
The wood of the Red Mulberry, Morus Rubra, is worthy of attention, for veneers, it having a very fine satiny grain sus- ceptible of very high polish.
Platanus Occidentallis, the Sycamore or Button-Ball tree, is found everywhere, though no effort is made to utilize its lum- ber, which makes splendid tobacco boxes.
The White and Black Walnuts, Juglans Cinerea and Nigra, are found in the rich soil along the small streams. Very few trees are now standing large enough for timber. As the Black Walnut grows so well in this county, it is one of the best for planting, and as they attain in 20 to 25 years development sufficient for timber, their planting could be made a source of large revenue.
Carya Alba, the Shell Bark Hickory, is found only along the Blue Ridge, and there of large size only in the remote hollows.
Carya Micro Carpa, the White or Small Fruited Hickory, is quite common in Piedmont, where its closely appressed bark distinguishes it readily from the Shell Bark.
Carya Tomentosa, the Red or Mocker Nut Hickory, is the most common member of the genus Carya. Attaining large size, its timber is valuable for many purposes.
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
Carya Porcina and Carya Amara, the Pig Nut and Bitter Nut Hickories, are occasionally seen.
The Oaks are well represented by the following species :
Quercus Alba, White Oak ; Q. Obtusiloba, Post Oak ; Q. Bicolor, Swamp White Oak; Q. Prinus, Chestnut Oak ; Q. Prinoides, Yellow Oak; Q. Rubra, Red Oak; Q. Coccinea, Scarlet Oak ; Q. Tinctoria, Black Oak ; Q. Nigra, Black Jack Oak ; Q. Falcata, Spanish Oak ; Q. Palustris, Pin Oak ; Q. Phellos, Willow Oak, and Q. Ilicifolia, the Bear Oak.
Of the above varieties the most common are the Black, Scarlet, Post, Chestnut and White Oaks. Q. Princides is but rarely met with, but always of the size of a tree. The Chest- nut Oak is being rapidly used by the "tan bark" gatherers. It is a great pity that these, the noblest of our trees, are most sacrificed by our citizens.
Castana Pumila, the Chinquapin, is very abundant as a shrub, and occasionally met with as a small tree. Castanæ Vulgaris, var Americana, the Chestnut tree is extremely abun- dant. The fruit is gathered and sold to shippers. Its wood attains perfect development, and for fence timber it has no superior.
Fagus Ferruginea, the Beech, with its umbrageous shade, is found in the Piedmont district.
Carpinus Caroliniana, the Water Beech, and Ostrya Vir- ginica, the Iron Wood, are found along most of the mountain streams.
Betula Lenta, the Cherry Birch, is common in the Ragged Mountains, and found elsewhere in the county. It is better known locally as Mountain Mahogany. Betula Nigra, the Red Birch, is frequently met with. along the streams east of the Southwest and Green Mountains.
Alnus Serrulata, the Black Alder, is known along every stream where, as a shrub, it forms dense thickets.
The Black Willow, Salix Nigra; White Willow, S. Alba, and Silky Willow, S. Sericea, are also very common along our streams.
Populus Tremuloides, the American Aspen, or Silver Maple,
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
as it is frequently improperly called, is found occasionally along the Rivanna river and near the Nelson county line.
Amongst the Pines, Pinus Pungens, the Table Mountain Pine, is one of the most interesting. Pinus Strobus, the White Pine, is found most commonly in the hollows of the Blue Ridge, where the saw-mill men are closely following, so that it will soon be very rare. Pinus Rigida, the Pitch Pine, with its rough and dark bark, is most commonly known as an Old Field Pine. Its resinous wood is of little value. Pinus Inops, the Jersey Scrub, is also well known. The Yellow Pine, Pinus Mitis, once very common, is disappearing beneath the devouring teeth of the circular saw. Pinus Toleda, the Lob- lolly, is found occasionally in the eastern part of the county.
Tsuga Canadensis, the Hemlock, attains a diameter of three feet along the head waters of Moorman's river.
Thuya Occidentalis, the White Cedar or Arbor Vitæ, is only found as a very small shrub, but the Red Cedar, Juniperus Virginiana, occurs abundantly enough to be shipped north for the lead pencil manufacturers. W. H. Seamon.
Agriculture.
N SOIL, climate and accessibility to market, Albemarle county possesses advantages unsurpassed by any other county in our State.
Intersected as it is by two great lines of railway, with still another on its southern border, connecting it with tide water in one direction and giving us easy and rapid communication with the great markets of the country ; its great advantages in that respect are only equalled by the general adaptability of its soil to that diversified agriculture' which brings the surest and best rewards to the cultivator of the soil.
All of the cereals, with the exception, perhaps, of barley, and all of the grasses common to the temperate zone, flourish well. There are no better wheat and corn lands than can be found in Albemarle.
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
Extending as it does, from the apex of the Blue Ridge to the lowlands bordering on the James River, almost every character and quality of soil can be found, from the sandy lands and rich alluvium of the rivers to the rock-made, inexhaustible red lands which characterize so large a section of Piedmont Virginia. It is capable of producing abundant milk, corn and wine; and with such capability would, in all ages, be regarded as a most promising section of country. No section of country possesses greater natural advantages for the varied productions which the necessities and comfort of our race demand.
That king of all the cereals-wheat, can be successfully produced. Corn-the farmers mainstay-thrives everywhere, in the hands of the skillful cultivators; and while the yield of oats may rarely equal the products of more northern and humid climates, yet as fine fields of that grain are harvested in Albemarle as anywhere in the Middle States.
Large sections of our county are eminently adapted to grazing, and the cultivated grasses always flourish, on large areas, under the care of the intelligent farmer. As tobacco planting yields in importance, as a staple crop, and grasses are cultivated in connection with cereals, it will be found that our red lands will be rapidly improved. The present writer has seen in Albemarle county as heavy yields of hay as the most favored lands in the best dairy sections of New York can pro- duce.
Stock-raising and dairying is successfully pursued here, and it can be indefinitely expanded.
Fruit-growing is now an important interest, and is yearly attracting the attention of wide-awake farmers who begin to realize that diversified production is safer than a reliance on one staple crop.
Our orchards have long been celebrated for the excellence of their fruit; and our vineyards, now covering hundreds of acres, not only supply hundreds of tons of table fruit for the markets of the country, but supply two prosperous wine-cel- lars with the fruit from which the famous Virginia Claret wines
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
are made. All in all, there is believed to be no more favored section of our country for the production of all the fruits common to the temperate zone, and it's accessibility to all the most important markets adds greatly to the value of this locality for this important branch of agriculture.
1202804 J. W. Porter.
Stoch-Raising and Feeding.
T IS not claimed that Albemarle is a cattle county par excellence, but stock-raising and feeding has a prominent place in the general farming practiced by the best mana- gers. The advantages for this business are the same as those specified for dairying, except that it possesses two additional :
Ist. The prevalence of garlic or wild onion, a disadvantage to the dairyman, is, from its very early and rapid growth and nutritious qualities, a blessing to the cattle and sheep raiser ; awakening from its dormant state, begun the previous July, as soon as the frost is out of the ground, it brings into vigorous action the material for rapid plant growth stored in its ripened bulb, and in fields where it is thickly set, gives a carpet of green in February, and though it may be killed to the ground by a subsequent freeze, persists in its rapid growth on every warm day, and gives cattle a good bite in March. Many a farmer who failed to secure a sufficiency of provender in the fall, has been indebted to the wild onion for the salvation of his cattle and sheep the next spring.
This rapid growth is maintained, though with decreased energy until late in May, by which time the other grasses have so far advanced that the onion may well be spared. It is true that animals taken directly to the slaughter house from an onion pasture, give meat of a bad flavor, but by keeping them twenty-four to thirty-six hours on other food, this dis- appears entirely. On farms where the onion abounds, the cattle are generally sent to the pasture the last of March, or early in April, thus shortening the winter feeding by several
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
weeks, and to these farms the butchers generally go for their early fat lambs and veals.
The second advantage is that on the Blue Ridge and its spurs, on the Southwest Mountains and the Ragged Moun- tains, there are large areas of very cheap mountain land, which, as soon as the trees are deadened and undergrowth killed, turf over with the rich blue grasses and white clover, and from the coolness and absence of flies, resulting from ele- vation, make the best of summer ranges. These mountains are so interspersed through the county that most farmers, who make cattle-raising and feeding a prominent part of their system, own a mountain pasture, easily accessible from their farms. On these the young stock spend the summer, while the farms, relieved of the burden of pasturing them, are en- abled to produce the larger crops of hay, corn and other produce.
There has been established at Charlottesville by Messrs. Burnley, Smith & Burnley, a monthly cattle sale, where gra- ziers dispose of their feeding animals and stock up with young cattle, and farmers buy such as they want for stall feeding and sell their fat beeves. These sales are well attended by buyers and sellers, and a considerable number of horses, cattle and sheep are bought and sold each month either at auction or by private sale, greatly to the convenience and advantage of those who raise or fatten cattle in the county. There are several fine herds of thoroughbred cattle in the county, one owned by W. J. Ficklin, who is the son and successor of the late S. W. Ficklin, whose reputation as a breeder of fine horses and cattle was second to none in the State ; another of Shorthorn is owned by Warner Wood, Esq., whose farm is near the University of Virginia. This gentleman recently sold the largest and heaviest pair of steers ever raised in the State. They were grade Shorthorn, bred and fed on Mr. Wood's farm, near the University. At three years old the pair weighed 8,000 pounds (I think) and when sold a few months ago weighed 8,300 pounds (I believe). It is said they were purchased for the purpose of being exhibited for pay, to
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
the people of other sections, as curiosities in the mammoth cattle line.
Major R. F. Mason, whose farm is near Charlottesville, has some fine Holsteins. There are numerous other high-bred animals of different breeds scattered through the county, and owned by various farmers.
Owing to the early introduction of the Shorthorns by the late S. W. Ficklin, and his active exertions in disseminating them through the county, the cattle are for the most part good grade animals and well adapted for feeding into first- class beeves, and it is a growing practice for farmers to feed a lot every winter on ensilage, hay and grain, stalling them at night in cheaply constructed stables, where they are well lit- tered and the manure carefully saved. This practice gives a home market for much of the produce of the farm, and the manure with which to improve it at the same time; and is found to pay well in the long run.
The increased value of the animal, after four months of judicious feeding, will generally pay $20 per ton for the corn consumed, $10 to $12 per ton for the hay, and $3 to $3.50 per ton for the ensilage, leaving the manure to pay for the labor of feeding and use of the stable, &c. If the buildings are well arranged this labor is very light, as the cattle are allowed to run, in the day, on a sod field, where they have access, usually, to spring water, and can pick over coarse forage, straw, &c.
Cattle, suitable for feeding, cost, in the fall of 1887, 212 to 3 cents per pound, live weight, and sold in the spring of 1888, when fat, at 4 to 41/2 cents per pound here. A good average gain on 1,000 pound steers, from four months winter feeding, is 200 pounds ; thus a good 1,000 pound steer cost in Novem- ber, thin, about $30; in the following March, if well handled and sold, he brought from $48 to $54.
The practice of putting up ensilage for winter feeding is becoming very common, and engines and cutters can easily be hired by those who do not care to incur the expense of buy- ing the machinery for filling their pits.
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
The Revenue Commissioner's books show that 10,344 head of cattle were listed for taxation in 1887 ; adding a fourth for cattle not found by the Commissioner, and for young cattle and beeves, and we have 12,900 head as about the true num- ber of cattle kept in the county. These are worth about $260,000. There has never been a case of pleuro-pneumonia or other contagious disease in the county, and the only infec- tious ones that have ever troubled us have been outbreaks of Texas fever, from infected cattle being ignorantly or carelessly brought in amongst our healthy ones, this always disappeared with the first frost and never reappeared unless freshly im- ported. With more knowledge, and the exercise of more care in this matter, we have not had a case of this now for many years, and our cattle have been exceptionally healthy.
Live stock in 1880 (U. S. Census) : Horses, 5,897 ; Mules and Asses, 636; Oxen, 986 ; Milch Cows, 4,834 ; other cattle, 7,617 ; Sheep, 10,832 ; Swine, 20,302.
H. M. Magruder.
Dairying.
HIS county offers great advantages for dairying, chief among which are :-
Ist. Its numerous springs of pure, cold freestone water, which, with their running streams make it difficult to lay off a 30 or 40 acre field without including running water within its bounds ; and afford on every farm a choice of locations for a dairy-house, where an abundance of that first requisite, pure cold water, can be had.
2nd. The great variety of nutritious grasses, either indige- nous to the soil, or which can be readily produced ; amongst which grow, spontaneously, the blue grasses (poa compressa and pratensis) and white clover on the hills ; herd grass or red-top on the bottoms, and ceap grass and foxtail, almost everywhere ; while orchard grass, red clover and timothy are easily produced, with a proper preparation, on both hills and
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
bottoms. These very best of pasture and hay grasses do so well that our farmers have not troubled themselves to propa- gate the new and foreign grasses of which we read so much, and whose seeds have been so generally distributed by the United States Agricultural Department.
3rd. The rolling, undulating surface causes an almost entire absence of stagnant, impure water, or unsavory marsh grasses, which so often injuriously effect the quality of dairy products from cows running in the pastures.
4th. The comfort of the cows is greatly promoted by the plenteous shade afforded by the numerous detached trees and wood lots, which good taste, and, perhaps love of personal comfort, caused our ancestors to leave in suitable spots when clearing away the forests.
5th. The mild short winters, during which the thermometer falls to zero not more than once or twice in a decade, and in which the dairyman must be ready to fill his ice-house at the first two-inch freeze, or he runs the risk of having to do with- out this almost indispensable accessory during the next sum- mer. And yet with ordinary diligence, and by selecting a suitable location for an ice-pond, our octogenarian farmers will tell you that they have never failed to secure a sufficient supply of this planter's luxury and dairyman's necessity.
The mild temperature of the winters renders much less costly stables necessary than are needed in the Northern States, and the cows are generally allowed, except in very stormy weather, to run during the day in a lot where they can pick over cornstalks, &c., and have access to wheat straw and plenteous spring water at its normal temperature of 55° to 60°. That this climate and mode of treatment is good for them is shown by the fact that there has been no epidemic or general disease among the cattle of Albemarle in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant. Pleuro-pneumonia and all that class of diseases are only known to us by name.
6th. Its nearness and convenience of access to good mar- kets. The city of Charlottesville and the University of Vir- ginia, both in the centre of the county, consume in the shape
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY.
of fresh milk the product of the largest dairies which are in their vicinity. The smaller and more remote farm dairies produce butter which meets a ready sale to regular customers at these places, at prices ranging from twenty to forty cents per pound, according to season and quality ; hence there is but little shipped out of the county, in spite of the exceptional facilities for so doing afforded by the numerous trains on the two great thoroughfares of travel, which bisect the county, and the railway, which skirts its entire southern border, pla- cing the markets of Washington 4 hours distant, Baltimore 5 hours, Richmond 3 hours, Norfolk 5, Lynchburg 3, and the Virginia Springs from 3 to 5 hours distant. The prices for butter are low in all these markets in summer, but contracts for a regular supply of fresh cream are readily made at very remunerative prices. The dairies too remote from the sta- tions to ship cream, find winter their most profitable season, as the demand is brisk for choice fresh butter at from thirty to forty cents per pound from October until June. While the abundant supply of hay and corn ensilage that can be easily and cheaply secured, make the feeding of the cows a compar- atively easy matter.
The product of a dairy of good common cows fresh in the fall, will average about three-fourths of a pound of butter per head per day during these eight months of good prices, if well fed in stalls, night and morning, on hay and ensilage, sprinkled with a mixture of corn meal and wheat bran. The ratio, allowing cost for the bran, and a liberal price for the corn, hay and ensilage, will be worth about seventeen cents per head per day, leaving the manure, and from five and a half to thirteen cents a day profit on each cow, besides giving a home market for the corn and provender. And most im- portant of all, a means is thus afforded for improving the land and increasing its capacity for carrying cows, and at the same time returning a fair profit to the farmer. With cows of the butter breed, more butter could be made from the same feed and a larger profit realized. Take the Edgmont farm, of 300 acres arable land, as an example of what can be accomplished
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