Chapter XVII

AGRICULTURE AND OTHER INDUSTRIES

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Agriculture

The early settlers of the county were pioneer hunters rather than farmers.  Game was abundant, which with small patches of corn and vegetables supplied much of the food requirements. Hillside locations, even on steep slopes, were generally preferred, it is said, as affording better shelter for homes and for stock during the winter.  The stock lived on the range throughout most of the year, cattle and sheep thriving on the native grasses and browse, and hogs on mast and roots.  For a time livestock constituted the only source of income.  Sheep raising, mainly for wool, later received considerable attention and continued as an industry of some importance for many years.  Tobacco early became a cash crop.  A variety known as dark tobacco - not the burly of the limestone regions - was raised.  It is almost always grown on newly cleared land, and the first

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crop was of the best quality, that of subsequent years being heavier and coarser.  The brightest of the first year's crop, after "fire curing," was suitable for cigarettes; the larger and heavier leaves for chewing tobacco.  From 500 to 800 pounds per acre were produced.  The bulk of the crop is said to have been sold in the Cincinnati markets or later shipped by rail to Richmond.  With the development of the coal industry, work in and about the mines attracted many of the farmers and the tobacco industry was abandoned.

Seventy-five per cent of the county is still in forest range.  There were only 1,461 farms in the county at the time of the 1920 census, and most of these were convenient large tracts of open range.  Grazing in this range is still an important feature of the farm practice in most communities.  Cattle, hogs and sheep are marked and turned out on the range during the spring, summer and fall.  The range is not overstocked, and stock is in good condition in the late fall.  In seasons of abundant mast (mainly acorns) hogs fatten without grain.

Generally the first aim of the farmer in this region is the supplying of his home needs.  A few dairy cattle, a few hogs, and poultry are kept on all farms.  Wheat can scarcely be grown for market, but many produce enough for domestic uses.  Thee, with the product of garden, orchard, and in many cases a small patch of sorghum, furnish a comfortable living on soil of moderate fertility, and a typical farm of the county has the appearance of comfort and prosperity.

In 1920 the average size of farms was 61.6 acres, of which 32.5 acres was classed as improved.  This average well represents the ordinary farm, as there are few large farms in the county.

The total value of all farm crops in Fayette county in 1919 was $1,241,273.  A production of 245,314 bushels on 13,511 acres was valued at $399,785; a production of 1,105 bushels of other grains and seeds on 129 acres was valued at $8,301; a production of 10,089 tons of hay and forage crops on 10,310 acres was valued at $241,293; the vegetable crop was valued at $388,772; the value of the fruit crop was %187,693; while the value of all other crops was $15,429.

The main farm crops were corn and hay. In 1919, according to the census reports, there were 6,533 acres in corn and 10,310 acres

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in hay. The average yields for the last five census years were 18 bushels of shelled corn and something less than one ton of hay per acre. In 1919, on the average farm, about 4-1/2 acres of corn was grown, producing 104 bushels of grain, and 7 acres of hay yielding 6-3/4 tons.  For winter feeding these are supplemented by smaller amounts of oats, fed usually in the sheaf, and corn fodder.  Oats is a fair crop.  The average yield for the last five census years is 13 bushels per acre, but when fertilized the yield is larger.  In 1919 the acreage in oats was 3,702, with a production of 54,902 bushels.

The acreage in what and buckwheat is comparatively small.  The average in wheat decreased from 4,289 acres in 1879 to 230 acres in 1909.  In 1919, 2,404 acres of wheat produced a yield of 27, 588 bushels.  The same year 793 acres of buckwheat gave a yield of 12,021 bushels. Barley with an acreage of 19, yielded 212 bushels, while 60 acres of rye produced 547 bushels.

Millet or Hungarian grass is grown to some extent to supplement the hay crop.  In 1903, 823 acres produced 851 tons.  But the crop is not grown regularly, and during the course of a recent survey few fields were seen.

The hay crop consists mainly of timothy and clover.  In 1919, 199 acres of clover produced 249 tons; 3,429 acres of timothy produced 924 tons.  Other tame or cultivated grasses, mostly redtop, occupied 3,325 acres, with a production of 2,163 tons of hay.  Clover and timothy are commonly sown together, the first year's crop being largely clover and the second year mostly timothy.  Grass lands are usually not productive of hay for more than three years without reseeding.

Both red clover and "sapling" or mammoth clover are commonly used.  The sapling clover matures later, thus giving better results when mixed with timothy, and it also endures a greater degree of acidity in the soil.

As clover and timothy thin out, redtop, oat grass, orchard grass, and other native grasses give a fairly productive and permanent pasture.  In places there are some bluegrass, as in barnyards and well-fertilized fields, but it is not a common grass in this county.  In old worn fields broom sedge may come in.  Ordinarily three acres of pasture will support one steer, or the equivalent in smaller animals throughout the grazing season.

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   Truck and fruit crops are grown to a considerable extent as cash crops, especially in the more settled central and southern parts of the county.  In some cases truck and fruit farms are operated very profitably on ordinary farm lands of the county, and quite commonly such crops are produced in a small way in connection with general farming or with other occupations.

In 1910, 799 acres of Irish potatoes yielded 67,260 bushels; 58 acres of sweet potatoes produced 4,025 bushels, while 262 acres were devoted to other vegetables, such as cabbage, peas, beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, beets and onions.  In all, the production of

the vegetable crop amounted in value to $388,772.  The soils of the county are naturally well adapted to truck crops, and the relatively large value per acre of such crops make the expense of building up fertility of the land a profitable investment.  There are good markets, and production is limited mainly by the acreage of clover sod and the quantity of stable manure available.

There are small apple orchards on all farms. In most cases they appear healthy and vigorous.  Many consist of young trees.  The soil topography, and climate are well adapted to this fruit.  In 1919 there were 92,908 apple trees of bearing age in this county,

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producing 89,719 bushels of fruit.  The more carefully managed orchards produce a good quality of fruit, and are profitable, but on many of the smaller farms no provision has been made for spraying and the crop is smaller and of poor quality.  Among the varieties of apples grown are the Rome Beauty, Ben Davis, Milam, Winesap, Yellow Transparent, Grimes, Delicious, and Wolf River.  While there are a few peach trees on most farms, it is commonly stated that they seldom bear well, being subject to winter killing.  Cherries and Plums produce well and are commonly planted.  Grapes do well, but are rather uncertain, owing to the likelihood of injury by late spring frost.  Cultivated raspberries and blackberries succeed, but wild berries are abundant, and as there is little profit in growing the cultivated varieties, few plantings are made.  According to the census of 1920, the production of orchard fruits and other small fruits in 1919, was as follows: 14,750 peach trees of bearing age harvested 1,065 bushels; 2,172 pear trees of bearing age harvested 246 bushels; 2,656 plum trees of bearing age harvested 566 bushels; 9,654 cherry trees of bearing age harvested 977 bushels; 7,647 vines of bearing age harvested 89,126 pounds of grapes; 21 acres of strawberries yielded 14, 343 quarts; 16 acres of raspberries produced 7,804 quarts; and 26 acres of blackberries and dew berries harvested 28, 504 quarts.

A few dairy cattle are kept on all farms, usually from 3 to 5 and in only a few cases is this number exceeded.  Some of the cattle are of a good dairy type, while many are of mixed breeding.  Butter is the principal market product.  In 1919 the value of dairy products was $151, 636, but excluding home use the value was $59,783, an average of about $40 per farm.  As reported for 1919, 959,703 gallons of milk was produced; 279,425 pounds of butter and 335 pounds of cheese were made on the farms of this county; and the average production of milk per dairy cow was 369 gallons.

In 1919, as reported, 63,391 chickens were raised which produced 235,695 dozens of eggs.  The value of chickens and eggs produced amounted to $160,700.  A total of 1,732 hives of bees valued at $9,152 produced 18,220 pounds of honey and 103 pounds of wax valued at $6,050.

In 1920, the total number head of livestock in the county was 18,792 valued at $782,231.  The horses numbered 1,856 and were valued at $274,717; 580 mules valued at $74,098; 7 asses and

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burros valued at $850; 6,590 head of cattle valued at $318,147; 4,641 sheep valued at $43,564; 72 goats valued at $505; and 5,046 head of swine valued at $70,350.

Calves are generally kept till 2 years old and sold at local markets of to local buyers.  A small number of hogs are kept on almost all farms.  They are usually of good type.  As they are largely kept on the open range, cholera and other infectious diseases at times cause considerable losses, as it is hard to control diseases under these conditions, but as a general thing they thrive well.

Sheep are quite commonly kept in the northeastern part of the county, in some cases in inclosed hill pastures, but usually on the open range.  They are of various mutton types, no one breed being predominant.  Spring lambs ordinarily reach a weight of 70 to 80 pounds by fall.  They are sold to local buyers and slaughtered at local or city markets.  In 1919, there were 3,854 sheep shorn which produced 17,789 pounds of wool valued at $10,535.

Sorghum cane is quite commonly grown in small patches for sirup.  In 1919, 228 acres of sorghum produced 1,113 tons of cane, yielding 11,442 gallons of sirup.

In general the investment in farm equipment through the county is comparatively small.  Barns are usually large enough to house the stock comfortably, but afford little mow space.  Horses of general-purpose type are commonly used for farm work.  Brood mares are kept on some farms, but breeding is not generally of importance.  The more costly farm tools, such as grain drills and mowing machines, are frequently owned cooperatively or their use rented.  It is stated that there are not a dozen binders in the county, the small scale of farming not justifying the general use of large machinery.  Grain is usually cradled.

No systematic plan of crop rotation is followed.  Ordinarily corn is followed by oats, in which grass is seeded.  Corn is not often grown two years in succession on the same land. Wheat or buckwheat may follow corn or oats.  Potatoes are generally grown on clover sod, in garden spots manured each year, or on new cleared land.

In 1919 the use of commercial fertilizer was reported on 1,050 farms in the county, the total amount expended being $131, 242.  Acid phosphate is a common form of application.  In communities where large sawmills are operated a considerable supply of hard-

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wood ashes is available at moderate or low prices.  These form a valuable lime and potash fertilizer.  Otherwise, lime is practically untried in the county.

The average expenditure for labor in 1919 was $85.66 per farm.  Very little labor is hired, except in busy seasons, and such seasonal labor is often difficult to obtain.  Wages are based on those obtained in public works and mines.

The value of farm lands is not greatly affected by coal values, as the title to available coal is now generally held separately.  Values generally range from $30 to $75 an acre, depending on location, topography, and the condition of improvements.  Timber is generally valued at $30 to $50 an acre, not including the value of the land, much of which is of little value except for forestry.

Agricultural Extension in Fayette County

With the movement of the State University to extend its efforts into the rural communities of West Virginia, Fayette has kept pace with the leading counties.  Not being strictly agricultural in its interests, the results in this county have been somewhat different than in leading counties.  The county in cooperation with the State and Federal governments have employed the

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county workers: Dee Crane (now state specialist in potatoes), Estel Kegley (now livestock farmer in Virginia), T. H. Howes (now farmer in Canada), Miss Ocie Painter, Miss Sally Sattis, Miss Ratsliff, Miss Fay Griffith, and Miss Josephine Malcolm.  The present agents are R. G. MacDonald and Miss Gladys Scranage.  Although membership in the County Farm Bureau organization has not been large, it has been active in doing many things in a cooperative way.  Those who served as president of the organization have been Herbert Jones, E. L. Nuckolls, R. E. Amick and W. C. Warner. Mrs. R. E. Amick is president of the executive committee in charge of the women's work in the county.

With the present functioning of thirty Four-H Clubs in the county, this activity has been one of the largest in the organization.  With an adult leader, and a group of five or more girls and boys who desire to carry out some project under instruction, and to develop in the Four-Fold way, a club which helps the youngsters to do this has been organized in each local community where it was possible to do so.  These clubs are the only ones in the world that require a piece of world's work to be done as an entrance requirement.  The motivating power has been a life one - the production of better girls and boys - with the ideal taken from Luke 2:52 - "And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man," To put it in youthful terms - we must do the things as individuals and as a club which will develop our Heads, Hands, Heart, and Health to the limit.

Annual county camps have been events that the youngsters looked forward to as the right-arm in this development.  Camps have been held at Kaymoor, Clifty, Dempsey, the Holliday farm near Fayetteville, the Warner farm near Beckwith, and at the present site on Laurel Creek.  In 1925 the Loup Creek Colliery Company gave permission to the Four-H Club in this county to build a permanent camp on their grounds near the Warren D. Nugent farm.  In that summer the mess hall, kitchen, and well were made a part of the camp.

In order that communities might see themselves as they existed in relation to what they might be, a community score card was devised by Rev. A. Rapking, and this score card has been used in the communities of Leander, Clifty, Dempsey, Crooked Run, Sanger, and Ansted.  One thousand points in the ideal as set forth in

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the score cards, and these communities scored from 590 to 800.  The items in the score cards are Homes, Schools, Business, Farming or Mining, Recreation, Churches, Health, and Community Spirit.  This forms a splendid beginning for community improvement.

Water Power

Electro Metallurgical Company

The only utilization on a commercial scale of water-power resources of Fayette county is the plant of the Electro Metallurgical Company at Glen Ferris on the north side of the Falls or the Kanawha river, the principal office of the company being located at Glen Ferris and the New York City office in the 42nd street building.

The company has constructed just above the crest of the falls a dam 2600 feet in length and 6.5 to 7 feet in height, giving a total fall of 22 feet available for water-power under normal conditions, according to George T. Lancaster, superintendent, who is authority for data concerning this plant.

The product manufactured is ferro-chromium which is used for hardening purposes in the manufacture of armor plate, projectiles, and high-speed tool steel.  The raw materials utilized are chrome ore, coke, and lime.  The chrome ore is imported principally from South Africa. Domestic ore from the state of California has recently been tried, but its quality is inferior and the known supply reported about exhausted.  The process of manufacture was not revealed.  The plant employs 52 men - 30 skilled and 22 ordinary laborers, and it has an average monthly output of 350 tons of ferro-chromium.

The power equipment consists of 10 McCormick turbines - six 48-inch; two 30-inch; one 27-inch; and one 24-inch. The six 48-inch turbines are each connected to a separate 350-KW alternating current generator; two 30-inch, to one 375-KW alternating current generator; the 24-inch, to a 60-KW alternating current generator; and the 27-inch to a three stage centrifugal pump.  The foregoing turbine equipment should produce in its maximum development about 2700 horse-power, the minimum, during very low water stages and ordinary flood conditions probably being 50 per cent less, and practically zero at very high flood stages.

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   According to reliable information furnished by natives of this county, this company obtained about 25 years ago a 99-year lease from Charles Reeder heirs of Baltimore, Maryland, on the falls and a tract of 500 acres immediately adjoining on the south side of the river, and owing to leaks in the dam only about one-half of the water flow is available for power in the lowest water stages recorded.

Available Water-Power

With the exception of the plant at Kanawha Falls, no other attempt on a commercial scale has been made to develop the vast amount of hydro-electric power available on the large streams in Fayette, although there are many small water-wheel mills along the smaller streams to grind the grain of the immediate region.  The important streams for the development of such power on a commercial basis are the Kanawha, New, Gauley, and Meadow rivers.

A study of gauging records kept by the U. S. Geological Survey in co-operation with the West Virginia Geological Survey shows that run-off during the winter and spring months is high and that for the summer and fall correspondingly low; hence, in any contemplated plan of development, the construction of large impounding reservoirs should be taken into consideration in order to equalize the flow available at all power-plants.

The remoteness of great cities for a ready market of this electric current that could be produced and the immediate presence of a great available tonnage of a high-grade steam coal as a competitive factor operate against he establishment of such plants at this time.  Other serious drawback are the presence of considerable towns, railway lines, and valuable coal beds low down near the valley floor, the flooding of which in many localities would make the cost of condemnation prohibitive.  As these coal seams approach exhaustion under rapidly developing mining operations in the not far remote future, then this vast permanent source of energy should be drawn upon.

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NEW RIVER SILICA COMPANY

In the western edge of Quinnimont district, the New River Silica Company operates the only plant and quarry for the manufacture of glass-sand in the county.  The quarry is located near the crest of the east hillside of New river, 0.5 miles northeast of Ephraim, at an elevation of 2610° B., in the Upper Raleigh Sandstone ledge, the quarry-face being about 300 feet long; 25 to 30 feet high; and is worked back eastward from the outcrop of the ledge a distance of 50 to 60 feet. The soil cover to be removed ranges from 0 to 12 inches. The company has a lease on a tract of 700 acres.

The raw stone is carried off the mountain by two 6-ton monitors over an incline railway - 3300 feet in length - to a crushing and washing plant on the main line of the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, just above the mouth of Buffalo creek, where it is crushed, washed, screened, and dried.

According to Mr. T. H. Price, superintendent, and Mr. S. B. Thomas, a stockholder in the company whose principal office is located at Hinton, W. Va., the plant first started to operate in the summer of 1915 and in October 1916, 25 to 30 men were employed at the quarry and crushing plant, the average daily output being about 150 tons of prepared sand.  The latter brings $1.50 per ton and is shipped mostly west to glass manufacturing plants in West Virginia at Dunbar, St. Albans, and Huntington, the sand being adapted to the manufacture of both window and flint glass ware.

THE ORIGINAL FORESTS

The topography of Fayette is such as to promote the growth of valuable forests.  Originally the low and fertile lands of the Gauley and that portion of the Great Kanawha within the county, were characterized by the abundance of yellow poplar, black and white walnut, white and red oaks, sweet buckeye, basswood, cucumber and white ash, as well as less valuable sweet gum, sycamore, river birch, honey locust, and others.  On the clays of the higher areas such species as maples, white oak and beech predominated, with fringes of hemlock along the water courses with scattered clumps of pitch pine and scrub pine growing on dry ridges and along sandstone outcrops.

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THE LUMBER INDUSTRY

Some of the best yellow poplar, black walnut and other timber growing along the Great Kanawha and the Gauley rivers was cut and rafted out about 60 years ago.  The New river is too rapid for eve the successful drifting of single logs and, as there was no other means of transportation then, the bulk of the timber in the interior remained until a later date.  A large number of staves were cut in a wasteful manner on Laurel creek about 45 years ago and several small steam and water mills were in operation before that time.  Two saw mills, at least, existed in the county as early as 1835.  Timber cutting on a large scale for commercial use did not begin until about 1885.  The industry has continued without interruption and at an increasing rate until the present day.  The greater part of timber so far taken has been sawed by portable stave and lumber mills located throughout the county.  These have delivered their lumber over branch railroads, wooden tram roads and, by means of wagons, over county roads, to the various stations along the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, and more recently, to Belva, Gauley Bridge and other station on the Gauley branch.

Large requisitions have been made upon the timber by the 150, or more, coal companies operating within the county.  The quantity of timber used in mining, through a long series of years, for posts, caps, headers, ties, tipples and buildings, is enormous.  In the judgment of those men best acquainted with the present situation the time is near when the scarcity of both timber and water will be alarming if, indeed, it is not already so.  A number of coal companies, however, are taking steps to preserve the remnant of less valuable but rapid-growing timber still standing in the extensive cut-over forests.  An enterprising company owning property on Loop creek has built an immense dam near the head of that stream and is catching the run-off water of early freshets for their use in mining operations.

The present lumber industry embraces the operations of 2 large band mills located within the county and a third located near the eastern line in Greenbrier county, together with the smaller operations of about 25 portable mills.  These have a combined capacity of not less than 250,000 feet per day.  The large mills are engaged in

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the removal of timber from the remaining virgin tracts and the small mills are cutting wherever a few thousand feet of timber can be brought together.

THE PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS

There is, perhaps, 10 per cent of cleared land in the county.  The remaining 446,000 acres are in forest.  Only about 53,000 acres, however, are yet in virgin growth.  The balance is cut-over and woodlot forest owned by coal and lumber companies and by farmers.  It is estimated that there is an average stand of about 2,500 feet per acre of the less valuable kind of timber, such as black gum, beech, sugar and red maple, birch, etc. yet remaining on the cut-over and woodlot land, but that at least 80 per cent of the value of the original forest has been removed.  Areas aggregating 200,000 acres, or more, of cut-over lands lie chiefly in the southern and western parts of the county and are largely owned by coal companies.  The principal virgin forest areas lie in the region of Big Sewell mountain, in the eastern part of the county, and farther north, along the Meadow river.

The foregoing text was taken directly, verbatim, from The History Of Fayette County, West Virginia as it was originally written.  This book was written by J. T. Peters and H. B. Carden.  It was published in 1926 by the Fayette County Historical Society, Inc., Fayetteville, West Virginia, and printed by Jarrett Printing Company, Charleston, West Virginia.  All rights reserved.

[Table Of Contents]
[ Dedication | Foreword ]
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