USA > Virginia > Loudoun County > Loudoun County > History and comprehensive description of Loudoun County, Virginia > Part 7
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1900.
1890.
Hamilton
364
407
Hillsboro
131
156
Leesburg
1,513
1,650
Lovettsville
97
Middleburg
296
429
Waterford
383
385
These circumstances of fluctuation and actual decrease might appear singular if it could not be shown that practi- cally the same conditions obtain elsewhere in the State and Union, or wherever agriculture is the dominant industry. Especially is this true of the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Prince William, and Fairfax, in Virginia, and Jefferson, in West Virginia. All these farming communities adjoin Lou- doun and exhibit what might be called corresponding fluctu- ations of population between the above-named periods.
A decrease then in the population of any of these districts is obviously due, in a large measure, to the partial or total failure of the crops which causes the migration of a portion of the population to large cities or other parts of the country. If the failure occurs immediately preceding a census, the decrease shown will, of course, be large.
As another contributing cause, it can be positively stated hat the disfavor in which agriculture is held by the young men of Loudoun, who seek less arduous and more lucrative employment in the great cities of the East, is, in part, re- sponsible, if not for the depletion, certainly for the stagnation of the county's population.
87
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
The white population of Loudoun County in 1880, 1890, and 1900 was as follows:
Census.
Population.
1880.
16,391
1890
16,696-305 increase.
1900.
16,079-617 decrease.
The negro population of Loudoun County for the same periods was:
Census.
Population.
1880.
7,243
1890.
6,578-665 decrease.
1900.
5,869-709 decrease.
The figures show that the negro population has steadily decreased, while the white population increased from 1880 to 1890, and decreased from 1890 to 1900. The proportion of decrease for the negroes was much greater than for the whites. As the occupations of the negroes are almost entirely farming and domestic services, crop failures necessarily cause migra- tion to other localities, and as Washington and Baltimore are not far distant and offer higher wages and sometimes more attractive occupations, there can be no doubt that the decrease is principally due to the migration to those cities.
INDUSTRIES.
Agriculture, in many of its important branches, is by far Loudoun's leading industry, and is being annually benefited by the application of new methods in cultivation and harvest- ing. The farmers are thrifty and happy and many of them prosperous.
During the Civil War agriculture received a serious set- back, as the County was devastated by the contending armies, but by hard work and intelligent management of the people the section has again been put upon a prosperous footing.
The agricultural methods in use throughout the County are very uniform, notwithstanding the fact that there are a comparatively large number of soil types in the area.
88
HISTORY OF
A system of general farming, with few variations, is prac- ticed, although some of the soils are much better adapted to the purpose than are other soils of the area. The system of rotation practiced consists of drilling in wheat and timothy seed together on the corn stubble in the fall, and sowing clover in the following spring. The wheat is harvested in the early summer, leaving the timothy and clover, which, after obtaining a good growth, is grazed or cut the next year for hay. This land is then plowed, and the following spring corn is planted, to be followed by wheat again the next fall, thus completing the rotation.
Loudoun's gently sweeping hills and broad valleys support great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, and yield immense crops of corn, wheat, oats, and other cereals. More corn is produced and probably more live stock marketed by Loudoun than by any other of the 100 counties of Virginia.
The wheat is either sold for shipment or ground into flour by the many mills of the County, which mainly supply the home demand. The surplus is shipped chiefly to Washington and Baltimore. The major portion of the corn is used locally for feeding beef cattle, dairy stock, and work animals. Hay is shipped in large quantities and the rye, oats, and buck- wheat are mostly consumed at home. Considerable pork is fattened in the County and many hundred head of cattle are annually grazed to supply the Washington and Baltimore markets.
A Government statistician was responsible for the follow- ing statement, based, no doubt, on the creditable showing made by Loudoun in the census of 1880: "Taken as a whole, probably the best farming in the State is now done in this (Loudoun) County." Of Virginia counties, it stood, at that time, first in the production of corn, butter, eggs, and wool, and in numbers of milch cows and sheep, and second only to Fauquier in the number of its stock cattle.
The breeding of superior stock and horses is an important branch of the County's agricultural activities. A contributor to Country Life in America, in an article entitled "Country
89
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
Life in Loudoun County," says of it: "And the raising of animals is here not the fad of men of wealth who would play at country life. It is a serious business, productive of actual profit and a deep-seated satisfaction as continuous and well grounded as I have ever seen taken by men in their vocation."
The wealthier class of citizens of course specialize, each according to his personal choice. One, with 1,500 acres, all told, does a large dairying business and raises registered Dor- set horn sheep, large white Yorkshire swine, registered Guern- sey cattle, and Percheron horses. Another, with a like acre- age, specializes in hackneys. A third, on his 300 or more acres, raises thoroughbreds and Irish hunters. A fourth, with 1,000 acres, fattens cattle for market and breeds Perche- ron horses, thoroughbreds, hackneys, and cattle. A fifth, owning several thousand acres, fattens cattle for export. A half dozen others, on farms ranging from 200 to 1,000 acres, raise thoroughbreds or draft animals. These are the special- ties; on all the farms mentioned the owners have their sec- ondary interests.
Some of the farmers whose capital will not permit the pur- chasing of high-priced breeding stock, have long been engaged in the business of finishing cattle for the market, ani- mals being shipped from Tennessee, West Virginia, and else- where to be fattened on the wonderful grasses of Loudoun County. These steers are pastured from several months to two years, or according to their condition and the rapidity with which they fatten.
Sheep are to be found on most every large farm and are kept for both wool and mutton. Buyers visit these farms early in the winter and contract to take the lambs at a cer- tain time in the spring, paying a price based on their live weight. When far enough advanced they are collected and shipped to eastern markets.
The rapid growth of near-by cities and the development of transportation facilities have exerted a great influence in the progress of the dairy industry in Loudoun County, increasing the demand for dairy produce, making possible the delivery 45-7
HISTORY OF
of such produce in said cities at a profit to the farmer, and thereby inducing many to adopt dairy farming as a specialty instead of following it as incidental to general agriculture.
The dairy cows in Loudoun, June 1, 1900, numbered $. 563. of which 7,882, or 02 per cent were on farms, and 681. or S per cent, were in barns and enclosures elsewhere.
If the number of dairy cows, June 1, 1900, be taken as a basis, the five most important Virginia counties arranged in order of rank are as follows: Loudeur, 8.563; Augusta, 7, 898; Rockingham, 7.312; Bedford. 6.951; and Washington, 6,792.
If prime consideration be given to the gallons of milk pro- duced on farms only in 1890, the counties rank in the follow- ing order: Loadoun. 3.736,382; Fairfax, 3,310,990: Bedford, 3.244,800: Rockingham, 3, 141,900; and Augusta, 2,993,928. If greatest weight be given to the farm value of dairy produce, the order is as follows: Fairfax, $301,007: Henrico. $247.428: Loadow. $242,221; Pittsylvania, $200,174. and Bedford, $194.560.
From every point of view but the last, Loudoun ranked as the leading dairy county of Virginia. The relative rank of other near competitors varied according to the basis of arrange- ment. The value of dairy produce is materially influenced by nearness to markets and also by the average production per farm, and these factors assisted in modifying the rank of Loudoun with reference to farm values of dairy produce.
The good prices obtained for apples during recent years have led some to plant this fruit on a larger scale than heretofore, and the result is so far quite gratifying. Apples do weil on most of the soils of Loudoun. The best are sold to buyers who ship to large markets. The poorer qualities are kept for home consumption, used for cider and fed to hogs. Pears are grown in small quantities throughout the County. Peaches do well ou most of the soils, but yield irregularly on account of frosts. All indigenous vegetables succeed well, but are mostly grown for home consumption, market gardens being conspicuously scarce.
Hosts of summer boarders give to Loudoun a large tran-
91
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
sient population requiring for its accommodation numerous hotels and countless boarding houses. This trade brings con- siderable money into the County and is a factor in its pros- perity not to be ignored.
Scattered over Loudoun may be found great numbers of small industries, many of them employing steam, water, or motor power. These comprise grist mills, grain elevators, quarries, canneries, packing houses, saw mills, an artificial ice plant, and miscellaneous enterprises. Though comparatively insignificant taken singly, viewed collectively they show an aggregate of energy and thrift wholly commendable.
Several of Loudoun's more important enterprises were launched subsequent to the last general census and this cir- cumstance renders its reports of manufactures, at no time com- plete or entirely reliable, of uncertain value as a symposium of the County's manufacturing interests at the present time. However, they are the latest reports obtainable and constitute the only official statistical exhibit of this subordinate source of wealth. They afford at least a partial insight into the present status of the manufacturing interests of Loudoun and, to this end, are reprinted below:
Number of establishments.
164
Number of proprietors and firm members. 197
Capital:
Land $25,957
Fuel and rent of power
and heat. $8,811
Buildings
79,350
Miscellaneous 12,935
Cost of materials used ... 424,538
Total $351,257
Total $446.284
Value of products.
$638,136
FARM VALUES.
The tables appearing under this and the two succeeding kindred headings were constructed from the latest general census reports, and are a most complete and trustworthy statistical exhibit of the agricultural resources and products of Loudoun County.
Machinery, etc. 104,402
Cash and sundries 141,548
Expenses:
92
HISTORY OF
TABLE I .- Value of all farm property, including implements and ma- chinery and live stock, with increase and decrease, and per cent of increase and decrease, by decades: Summary 1850 to 1900.
Census year.
Value of all farm property.
Increase in decade.
Per cent of increase.
Average value per farm.
1900
$11,056,109 00
$971,459 00
9.6
$5,675 62
1890
10,084,650 00
į729,731 00
į6.7
5,547 11
1880.
10,814,381 00
±1,437,636 00
±11.7
5,874 19
1870+
12,252,017 00
323,187 00
2.7
9,896 62
1860.
11,928,830 00
2,446,073 00
25.7
9,883 04
1850
9,482,757 00
7,549 97
+Values in gold. ¿ Decrease.
An especially great increase in the total value of farm prop- erty will be noted in the decade from 1850 to 1860. Then followed the Civil War with its great destruction of farm property, and from this disaster the County did not fully recover before 1890.
The average value per acre of all farm property in Lou- doun increased from $32.18 in 1850 to $35.22 in 1890.
TABLE II .- Value of farms with improvements, including buildings, with increase and per cent of increase, by decades: Summary 1850 to 1900.
Census year.
Value of farms.
Increase by decade.
Per cent of increase.
Average value per farm.
Average value per acre.
1900
$9,138,560 00
$518,830 00
6.0
$4,691 25
$29 11
1890.
8,619,730 00
¥911,524 00
į9.6
4,741 33
29 23
1880.
9,531,254 00
¥1,345,752 00
±12.4
5,177 22
31 89
18701
10,877,006 00
368,795 00
3.5
8,785 95
39 37
1860
10,508,211 00
2,158,840 00
25.9
8,706 06
35 48
1850
8,349,371 00
6,647 59
28 33
+Values in gold. ¿ Decrease.
In 1900 there were only two counties of Virginia with higher farm values than Loudoun. They were Rockingham, with $11,984,440, and Augusta, with $11,464, 120.
93
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
TABLE III .- Value of land and buildings, with the per cent of the total represented by the value of buildings, June 1, 1900.
Land and improvements (except buildings). $6,649,690 00
Buildings. 2,488,870 00
Total $9,138,560 00
Per cent in buildings.
37.4
TABLE IV .- Number of farms and number and per cent of those with buildings, June 1, 1900, with average values of land and buildings.
Number of farms:
Total.
1,948
With buildings.
1,933
Per cent with buildings.
99.2
Average value of-
$3,414 00
Land, per farm
21 18
Land, per acre.
1,278 00
Buildings, per farm.
Buildings, per farm with buildings.
1,288 00
TABLE V .- Total and average value per farm of farm implements and machinery, with increase and decrease and per cent of increase and decrease in the total value, by decades: Summary 1850 to 1900.
Census year.
Value of farm implements and machinery.
Increase by decade.
Per cent of increase.
Average value per farm.
1900
$295,910 00
$103,000 00
53.4
$151 90
1890.
192,910 00
9,683 00
5.3
106 11
1880.
183,227 00
į23,473 00
±11.4
99 53
1870+
206,700 00
¥31,564 00
±13.2
166 96
1860.
238,264 00
42,470 00
21.7
197 40
1850.
195,794 00
155 89
+Values in gold. ¿ Decrease.
The percentage of increase was least for the decade 1880 to 1890. After 1870 the farmers did not, until 1900, report as large investments in machinery as they did prior to the war.
Only two other Virginia counties reported higher values of farming implements and machinery in 1900. They were Augusta, with $439,090, and Rockingham, with $436,340.
94
HISTORY OF
LIVE STOCK.
Values.
The total value of the live stock on farms only, June 1, 1900, was $1,621,639, or 14.7 per cent of $11,056,109, the reported value of all farm property. Of the live stock value, domestic animals, worth $1,556,935, constituted 96 per cent; poultry, worth $58,276, 3.6 per cent; and bees, worth $6,428, .4 per cent.
TABLE I .- Reported value of live stock on farms with increase and de- crease and per cent of increase and decrease, by decades, and average values per farm and acre.
Census year.
Value.
Increase of value.
Per cent of increase.
Average value per farm.
Average value per acre.
1900
$1,621,639 00
$349,629 00
27.5
$832 46
$5 17
1890
1,272,010 00
172 110 00
15.6
699 68
4 31
1880
1,099,900 00
į68,411 00
15.9
597 45
3 68
1870+
1,168,311 00
±14,044 00
±1.2
943 71
4 23
1860
1,182,355 00
244,763 00
26.1
979 58
3 99
1850
937,592 00
746 49
3.18
¡Values iu gold. #Decrease.
Animals Sold and Slaughtered.
The census enumerators and special agents secured reports of the amounts received from the sale of live animals in 1899, and of the value of animals slaughtered on farms. With reference to reports of sales, they were instructed to deduct from the amount received from sales the amount paid for animals purchased.
TABLE II .- Receipts from sales of live animals and value of animals slaughtered on farms, in 1899, with averages and number of farms reporting.
Farms reporting domestic animals.
1,911
Amount of sales ..
$392,852 00
Average amount of sales per farm
205 57
Value of animals slaughtered. 109,618 00
Average value of animals slaughtered per farm.
57 36
95
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
Neat Cattle.
The total number of neat cattle in Loudoun County re- ported June 1, 1900, was 30,277, of which 29,432 or 97.2 per cent were on farms, and 845 or 2.8 per cent in barns and inclosures elsewhere.
Fauquier, with 34,098, led all counties in the number of neat cattle, Loudoun ranking second, with 30,277. In the number of dairy cows, Loudoun headed the list of Virginia counties with 8,563, or 665 more than its nearest competitor, Augusta county.
Of calves, Augusta reported 5,476; Rockingham, 5,416; Washington, 4,177, and Loudoun, 4,090.
TABLE III .- Number of Heifers and Cows on Farms, June 1, 1900, with Percentages.
Heifers 1 and under 2 years. 1,917
Dairy cows 2 years and over
7,882
Other cows 2 years and over. 58
Total 10,387
Per cent:
Heifers
18.5
Dairy cows.
75.9
Other cows.
5.6
Dairy Products.
TABLE IV .- Gallons of milk produced on farms in 1899, and gallons sold and estimated gallons consumed on the farm for specified pur- poses.
Produced
3,736,382
Sold.
875,780
Utilized in the production of-
Butter
2,198,542
Cream sold
181,566
Consumed on farms: Total
2,380, 108
Per farm reporting milk.
1,321
Uses not reported.
480,494
The reported quantity of butter produced on farms in 1899 was 628,155 pounds, an average of 349 pounds per farm re- porting, and an increase of 12.4 per cent over the production in 1889. 330,785 pounds were sold during the year 1899.
96
HISTORY OF
The four counties of Virginia which produced the greatest quantity of butter on farms were, in the order named, Bedford, 727,680 pounds; Rockingham, 658,063; Augusta, 633,360, and Loudoun, 628,155.
Steers.
Of the 26,187 neat cattle 1 year old and over in Loudoun June 1, 1900, 14,597, or 55.7 per cent, were steers. Of this number a few only were working oxen, as the great majority were kept exclusively for beef.
Horses, Mules, Etc.
The number of horses reported on Loudoun farms in 1900 comprised 797 colts under 1 year old: 1,048 horses 1 and under 2 years, and 7,722 horses 2 years and over. The numbers not on farms were, for the three classes named, 22, 13, and 684, respectively. There was, therefore, a total for Loudoun County of 8,406 work horses, and 1,880 too young for work, making a grand total of 10,286 horses, of which 93 per cent were on farms and 7 per cent in barns and inclosures else- where.
Only two counties of Virginia, i. e., Augusta and Rocking- ham, reported more horses than Loudoun, and the last-named County led all in number of colts.
The total number of mules of all ages in the County in 1900 was 109.
Sheep, Goats, and Swine.
There were reported in Loudoun June 1, 1900, 31,092 sheep, of which 15,319 were lambs under one year, 15,040 ewes one year and over, and 733 rams and wethers one year and over. All but 0.2 per cent of that number were on farms.
Loudoun headed the list of Virginia counties in number of lambs under one year and ranked second in number of ewes one year and over.
The total number of goats of all ages in Loudoun June 1, 1900, was 20.
97
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
The total number of swine of all ages June 1, 1900, was 17,351, of which 15,554, or 89.6 per cent, were on farms an 1,797, or 10.4 per cent, in barns and inclosures elsewhere.
Domestic Wool.
Tazewell headed the list of Virginia counties in 1900 in both number and weight of fleeces shorn, and was followed by Loudoun with a total of 15,893 fleeces, weighing, unwashed, 87,410 pounds. Almost double this amount in pounds was sheared in the fall of 1879 and spring of 1880.
Poultry and Bees.
The total value of all the poultry raised on Loudoun farms in 1899 was $114,313, an average value per farm of $58.68.
The number of chickens three months old and over, includ- ing guinea fowls, on farms in Loudoun County June 1, 1900, was 132,627; turkeys, 7,218; ducks, 2,171, and geese, 1,036. The total value of all poultry on hand, including the value of all young chicks unreported, as well as that of the older fowls, was $58,276, an average of $29.92 per farm reporting.
Shenandoah was the banner county of Virginia in egg pro- duction, reporting 1,159,000 dozens; Rockingham ranked second, with 1,150,500 dozens, and Loudoun third, with 771,780 dozens, the fourth highest competitor, Augusta county, lacking 60,580 dozens of this last number.
Of Virginia counties at the last census Loudoun ranked third in the number of chickens on farms, third in number of turkeys, third in value of poultry products in 1899, and second in value of poultry on hand June 1, 1900.
There were in the County June 1, 1900, 2,225 swarms of bees, valued at $6,428. They produced the same year 24,970 pounds of honey and 1, 110 pounds of wax.
98
HISTORY OF
SOIL PRODUCTS.
The total and average values of Loudoun's farm products of 1899, with percentages, are set forth in the following table:
Value of products:
Fed to live stock.
$1,018,434 00
Not fed to live stock
1,817,414 00
Total
$2,835,848 00
Average value per farm:
Fed to live stock
$523 00
Not fed to live stock.
933 00
Total
$1,456 00
Average value per acre:
Products fed.
$3 24
Products not fed
5 79
Average value per acre of improved land: Products fed.
$4 04
Products not fed
7 22
Corn and Wheat.
Of the 100 counties in Virginia, Loudoun ranked third in corn acreage in 1899, reporting 46,248 acres, and, the same year, headed the list in the production of corn with 1,538,860 bushels, an excess of 350,830 bushels over its nearest competi- tor, Fauquier county, which had planted in corn 981 inore acres.
Loudoun ranked third in wheat area in 1899, Augusta taking the lead in area as well as in production. The next three counties in the order of production were Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Loudoun, the product of the last-named being 447,660 bushels. The same order prevailed in 1890.
Oats, Rye, and Buckwheat.
The area reported under oats in 1900 was 765 acres and the product 13,070 bushels. In 1890, 4,504 acres were planted in this crop and produced 69,380 bushels. No barley was re- ported in 1899.
16.4
Per cent not fed to value of farm property.
99
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA.
The reported area under rye in 1900 was 597 acres and the yield 5,560 bushels. The preceding census reported 1,830 acres and a product of 13,137 bushels.
Loudoun reported but two acres of buckwheat under culti- vation in 1899, as against 232 acres in 1879. The yield at the last census was only 12 bushels, and in 1879, 2,338 bushels.
Hay and Forage Crops.
The total area in clover in 1899 was 1,555 acres and the yield 1,598 tons. Loudoun reported only 2 acres planted in alfalfa or Lucern and a corresponding number of tons. The total area sown in millet and Hungarian grasses was 70 acres and the product 86 tons. Twelve thousand four hundred and ninety-five acres were planted in other tame and cultivated grasses iu 1899, and 11,364 tons cut therefrom. The principal grass included under this designation is timothy. In grains cut green for hay Loudoun reported 1,342 acres under culti- vation in 1899 and a product of 1,503 tons.
The reported acreage in forage crops in 1899 was 867 and the product 2,473 tons. The principal crops included under this head are corn and sorghum cane cut green for forage. The production of Loudoun exceeded the tonnage of every other county in the State. The report of the tonnage of the cornstalks cut where the crop had been allowed to mature for the grain was 21,614 tons.
Miscellaneous Crops, Etc.
Four hundred and eighty-four acres planted in miscella- neous crops in 1900 produced 33,312 bushels.
Seven hundred and twenty-nine acres were devoted to mis- cellaneous vegetables (exclusive of Irish and sweet potatoes, and onions), and the product valued at $41,136.
From the 11 acres devoted to sorghum cane, 7 tons were sold and 789 gallons of syrup produced.
The number of square feet of land under glass used for agricultural purposes June 1, 1900, was 48,310.
00
HISTORY OF
Orchard Fruits, Etc.
The reported value of the orchard products of 1899 was 51,363.
The following table shows the number of each class of rchard trees of bearing age, June 1, 1900, with products by ushels:
Trees.
Number of trees.
Number of bushels grown.
pple.
83,027
195,406
each and nectarine.
22,446
3,900
ear
4,983
2.828
herry
4,179
3,930
lum.
1,589
534
pricot
117
30
nclassified orchard fruits.
42
20
The farms of Loudoun produced in 1899 2,304 barrels of ider, 388 barrels of vinegar, and 13,530 pounds of dried and vaporated fruits.
Small Fruits, Etc.
The total value of small fruits was $3,574, the number of cres under cultivation 40, and the product 62,280 quarts.
There were in Loudoun June 1, 1900, 9,742 grapevines of earing age. They produced in 1899, 171,921 pounds of grapes, rom part of which yield were made 766 gallons of wine.
The number of pecan, Persian or English walnut and other ut trees of bearing age reported was 35.
Flowers, Ornamental Plants, Etc.
The total area devoted to flowers and ornamental plants for ommercial purposes in 1899 was eight acres, the amount of ales therefrom $15,400, and the square feet of glass surface eported by florists' establishments 53,300. Of Virginia ounties Loudoun ranked fourth in amount of sales and third 1 area of glass surface.
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